Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?
by Haley Teague
Summary: *COMPLETE!* Only two enemies have ever been able to defeat (i.e. kill) Buffy. What if one of them came back? Set b/w Season Six's OFA & AYW.
1. Chapter 1

Spoilers: Through "Older and Far Away"  
  
Disclaimer: Shockingly, the characters, etc. are not mine.  
  
  
  
Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"H-h-hello? I-is anybody home?" a timid voice called out as the door to the crypt swung open, late afternoon sunlight filtering around the figure in the doorway.  
  
Hearing no response, the man took a hesitant step inside and squinted into the interior of the structure, forcing his eyes to adjust to the change in light. Once he was sure there was no one or no thing laying in wait for him, he turned and gestured impatiently to his cameraman.  
  
"Come on, Abe. I told you it was safe!" he said commandingly.  
  
Abe Stromson refrained from rolling his eyes at his companion's sudden change in demeanor, and like the obedient cameraman that he was, followed Blair Locksley into the mausoleum. Blair was a quickly rising star in the world of television news magazines, at least according to Blair.  
  
In truth, Blair was well known among his colleagues. However, this fame was due to Blair's persistence in seeking out and chasing stories about a variety of fantastical and downright unbelievable subjects. Last week, Blair had fixated on a new theory involving dinosaur spirits and crop circles. This week it was vampires, something Blair's latest girlfriend had convinced him existed and could be found here. In fact, if Abe remembered correctly (he had a tendency to tune out Blair's often excessive explanations) this crypt belonged to one of the biggest, baddest vampires of all time.  
  
As he entered the dim room, Abe mentally shrugged his shoulders and stopped to allow his eyes to adjust. Blair strode further into the crypt with the certainty of one whose safety has been assured. Both men then began examining the rather unusual contents of the room.  
  
Various, mismatched pieces of furniture, all of which had obviously seen better days, were arranged about the room. A worn chair and couch sat between a television and a stone coffin, facing the TV. There was various overflowing boxes and cloth, some clothing, some bedding lying around the edges of the room, while an old refrigerator stood to one side. Nearly every available surface contained well used candles.  
  
It was obvious that someone spent a considerable amount of time here, for as cluttered and disorderly as the place was, it was still fairly clean. Perhaps someone even lived here. However, Abe was willing to bet a month's pay it was a homeless person rather than a vampire. Blair, on the other hand, was ecstatic.  
  
"It's just how she said it would be!" he exclaimed, referring to his girlfriend. Suddenly he turned to glare at Abe. "Well, what are you waiting for, man? Start filming!"  
  
With a sigh, Abe raised the camera to his shoulder and began to pan across the crypt's interior. Blair crossed to the fridge and opened it, his eyes widening at the contents. As he pulled out a quart jar of a thick, dark red liquid, he called, "Check this out, Abe!"  
  
"What, Blair, does your vampire have blood in his fridge?" Abe continued filming, facing the other direction as he asked the question in the same placating manner he used when Blair excitedly called him up at three in the morning, drunk out of his mind, but hot on a new story.  
  
Blair recognized the tone, and made no attempt to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Well, there's some beer and diet Coke, something that looks like chicken wings, ice-cream in the freezer, and yeah, some blood!"  
  
Abe finally turned and looked at the jar Blair was examining. It did look like blood. Abe began to question his doubts about the validity of this particular story.  
  
Blair pulled a small glass vial out of his pocket and slowly poured some of the liquid into it, making sure to securely close the vial.  
  
"Let's go. We've got enough for today. While this is being tested, we can interview that Spring girl." Blair was already to the door by the time he finished talking.  
  
"Summers," Abe correctly as he quickly followed, glad to be leaving.  
  
As soon as the crypt door closed, the lid of the stone sarcophagus shifted to the side, revealing a bleached-blond man within. He gazed at the closed door for a second before climbing out of the coffin. One look outside reaffirmed that the sun was still too high and he quickly crossed the room to a small trap door in the floor. Pulling the trapdoor open, he climbed down, grabbed his trusty blanket, and took off through the sewer tunnels, determined to reach "that Spring girl" before the two men.  
  
tbc 


	2. Chapter 2

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Buffy looked up from the pile of bills on the breakfast bar in front of her as the kitchen door burst open and a smoking, blanket-covered figure rushed in.  
  
"Spike. What do you want?" The question came out a lot less harshly than she intended. Buffy had gotten off work at the Doublemeat Palace an hour before and was nursing a growing headache as she slowly worked her way through this month's bills. She really wasn't in the mood for yet another round of veiled comments and innuendo with Spike.  
  
Spike cocked his head to the side and grinned, easily falling into the familiar routine. Buffy would protest and pretend that she didn't want him, but in the end that rarely held her back.  
  
"Why, luv, I think you know what I want." He crossed the kitchen and leaned across the counter so his face was even with hers.  
  
"You're a pig, Spike." Her standard reply lacked its usual conviction.  
  
"Oink, oink." Spike closed the distance between them as Buffy tilted her head, anticipating the kiss. Spike pressed his lips to hers and she kissed him back. Then reality intruded and Buffy pulled away.  
  
"No, now is not a good time. Dawn will be home soon and Will's just out getting groceries. She could walk in at any time."  
  
This scene had played out far too many times for Spike to be surprised. However, that didn't mean her moderate rejection hurt any less. But damned if Spike was going to let her know that. Spike's expression turned from playful to serious as he remembered the reason for his visit. "S'alright, luv. Not the reason I'm here anyway."  
  
Buffy's raised eyebrows told Spike exactly how little she believed him, but he pressed on.  
  
"There were these two humans in my crypt today."  
  
"And the Big Bad needs my help to scare them off?" she scoffed.  
  
"I didn't really get to the scaring part, luv. I heard 'em coming and thought they were looking to collect on some, ah, debts I may owe."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "What kind of kittens is it this time, Spike? Calicos?"  
  
"Right. Well, ol' Sharkey's taken to sending humans after me on account of the chip, so when I heard 'em coming, I hid."  
  
"And I would want to help you avoid your loan shark, why?"  
  
"Well, there's always the amazing sex, luv . . ." Spike suggested, as he ran his tongue over his lower lip.  
  
Buffy struggled to suppress a shiver of pleasure. *How does he always do that to me?* she wondered.  
  
The shrill ring of the phone pulled her back out of the moment. She crossed the room to answer it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The familiar, comforting voice of the only man she actually considered a father came through the line.  
  
"H-hello? Buffy, is that you?" Giles asked.  
  
"Giles!" Buffy's cry of excitement was short lived. "What's wrong?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"Does something need to be wrong for me to ring you?"  
  
"Well, no, but we haven't really been big on the 'Hey, how ya doing?' calls. Just the 'The world is going to end!' calls. Not that I want a 'The world is going to end!' call, but I figure the chances of you calling just to chat are not so great, so . . ."  
  
Buffy's rambling was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.  
  
"Would you get the door, Spike? And be nice to whoever's there," she called over her shoulder before returning to her conversation with Giles.  
  
"Spike is there?"  
  
"Uh, yeah." Buffy searched rapidly for an excuse. Wait, Spike did say he had an actual reason for coming. The kissing had just been a side event, not the real reason he was there. *No need to make excuses, nothing happened!* she chastised herself sternly. "He came to tell me something about his loan shark and kittens. I'm not really sure. He came in just before you called."  
  
"Ah, yes. Well, as you say there is a prophecy I wanted to discuss with you." Giles was relieved to hear that the vampire at least had an excuse to be around and wasn't still blatantly stalking Buffy.  
  
"A prophecy? Great. What is it this time? Another apocalypse?" Buffy's flippant tone did not fool Giles.  
  
"Relax, Buffy." He reassured her. "The prophecy is unclear, er, th- that is, it is rather clear, just confusing."  
  
"Gee, a confusing prophecy?" The sarcasm in Buffy's voice oddly reassured Giles. He was now talking to self-assured, sarcastic Buffy, not anxious, I'm-not-ready-to-face-another-big-apocolype-since-I-died-during- the-last-one-and-I-haven't-quite-recovered-from-being-pulled-out-of-Heaven Buffy.  
  
"Right. Well, th-the thing is, the, ah, prophecy states that the Master will rise from the Mouth of Hell."  
  
"The Master? Mr. I-Ground-His-Bones-To-Dust? Come on, Giles, didn't anyone tell the prophecy writers that I killed him like five years ago?"  
  
"Well, yes. That does seem to be a bit of a hindrance to the fulfillment of this prophecy. But, if you'll recall, Buffy, the prophecy about that battle accurately predicted your death. Er, your first death, that is. And you, of all people, should know that prophecies have a way of coming true."  
  
"Great," Buffy's voice indicated that she considered the prophecy anything but. "Well, what's the what, then?"  
  
"I just found the prophecy, and some of the books I need are at the Magic Box. I wanted to let you know my preliminary findings, so you and the, ah, others" –Giles still found it difficult to refer to the group by the cartoon characters they had named themselves after– "could start researching and preparing. I will continue my work here."  
  
"Okay, well, um, let me get a pen . . ." As she turned to look for a pen and paper to take notes with, she noticed Spike standing in the dinning room's doorway and remembered the doorbell ringing. She raised her eyebrows, silently questioning him. He gestured toward the living room, where he had directed whoever was at the door. Apparently they needed Buffy's attention. *What if it's Social Services on another surprise visit? The last thing they need to hear is me taking notes about an apocalyptic prophecy!* Buffy returned her attention to the phone.  
  
"Uh, Giles, there's someone at the door, can I call you back?"  
  
"Certainly, Buffy. Why don't I, er, e-mail Willow the details of what to look for? You can call me with any questions," he responded.  
  
"Sure, that sounds good. Bye, Giles. It was good talking to you, even if it was, um, end of the worldy stuff like this."  
  
"Goodbye, Buffy."  
  
Buffy hung up the phone and walked past Spike into the living room. Two men were seated on the couch. The younger, blonde haired man held a notepad in his hand. A video camera sat on the floor next to the older one.  
  
*Definitely not Social Services, unless they've taken to looking for photographic evidence of my failure as a parent,* she thought wryly to herself. Putting on her best customer service smile, perfected by countless mind-numbing hours at the Doublemeat Palace, Buffy turned to the men.  
  
"What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, Ms. Summers," the younger man started, "I understand you know something about vampires."  
  
tbc 


	3. Chapter 3

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Buffy stared at the two men in her living room. The smile left her face and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
  
"Sorry, my name is Blair Locksley," the younger one said, rising from the couch and extending his hand. "Perhaps you've heard of me? I work for a television news magazine called 'Now!' This is my cameraman, Abe," he gestured over his shoulder at the other man.  
  
Buffy took his hand and smiled sweetly as she squeezed a little harder than necessary. "I can't say I watch a lot of TV."  
  
Blair winced at the strength in the girl's handshake and when she released his hand, he absently rubbed it in an attempt to return feeling to the damaged appendage.  
  
"Uh, Sl-Buffy," Spike interrupted, "what's say we get our guests some tea and then you can chat? Wouldn't want to be impolite, now would we, pet?"  
  
"Oh, I-" Buffy began to refuse until the stress Spike had placed on his last sentence caught up to her. Realizing he wanted to speak with her alone in the other room, she quickly changed her statement. "-think that would be a great idea. You gentlemen like tea, right?" The saccharine smile had returned.  
  
Abe, having caught an undercurrent in the conversation between the Slayer and the vampire simply nodded, while Blair smiled brightly, remaining oblivious.  
  
As soon as Buffy and Spike left the room, Blair began looking around the room, searching for anything that might reveal this girl to be what his girlfriend had described. At first glance, nothing jumped out at him. The room was tastefully decorated. Photos were visible on the walls, mantle, and many of the room's small tables. These he examined more closely. Many contained the blonde girl he had just spoken with, a younger, dark-haired girl, and an older woman. Probably her sister and mother, he decided. The remaining ones featured a few different faces, all about the same age as the girl. He counted three other girls, a red head, a blonde, and a girl whose hair color varied, depending on the photo, as well as a dark-haired man. He found no photographs that contained the image of the bleached- blonde who had accompanied the girl into the kitchen.  
  
Finding nothing else unusual in his perusal, his attention was drawn to an intricately carved wooden chest behind the couch. Walking over to it, he opened it and let out a low whistle.  
  
"Abe, check this out!" he whispered urgently to the other man. "I think we've hit paydirt."  
  
Abe came around the couch and his eyes widened. The chest, which looked innocent on the outside, contained a variety of weapons including old-fashioned swords, battle axes, crossbows, and what appeared to be wooden stakes and crosses.  
  
"Is that," Abe swallowed and pointed at three bulbs of spice in the corner of the chest, "garlic?"  
  
"Yup!" Blair answered excitedly and pointed to some glass jars filled with a clear liquid. "And I'll bet that's holy water!"  
  
***  
  
As soon as they got into the kitchen, Buffy whirled to face Spike.  
  
"What is going on?" she demanded.  
  
"Don't know, luv, but that's what I came to talk to you about." Spike answered, stepping around her to retrieve the tea pot so he could fill it with water. "Those two buggers are the ones that were at my place today."  
  
"Why are they here if you owe them kittens?" Buffy asked.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "They're not looking for kittens, Slayer. That's what I was trying to tell you. They snooped around in my crypt. Hell, they found the blood in my fridge! I think they may have taken some, too. They talked about getting something tested. I couldn't really see, but I don't know what else they'd be wanting to test, 'less it was whether or not that blue fuzz on my leftover spicy wings is penicillin."  
  
"But why are they here, Spike?"  
  
Spike was mildly surprised he didn't burst into flame from the glare Buffy was directing his way.  
  
"I didn't have nothing to do with it, luv. They mentioned coming to see you. As soon as they left, I ran right over to give you a heads up." Spike was getting worked up. Why did she always have to make these things his fault? "But apparently, the almighty Slayer doesn't need help from the likes of me. Only need me for scratching itches and killing big nasties! Well, fine, call me next time something I'm fit to help with shows up!" He grabbed his blanket and prepared to storm out the door.  
  
"Spike, wait." Buffy grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean . . . I'm just worried. I thought it was Social Services, and then they asked me about vampires and all I could think was 'Oh god, they think I'm crazy and they're going to take Dawn.' Stay, please."  
  
Spike was stunned, an apology and a "please" from the Slayer in one conversation. *The world must be coming to an end,* he thought to himself. Just then, the whistle of the tea kettle broke the silence of the kitchen, bringing Spike out of his musings. The break, combined with his thoughts just before it, reminded him of the telephone conversation he had overhead earlier.  
  
"Luv, was that Giles on the phone? Did he have bad news?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, he found some prophecy about the Master rising. He wanted us to start working on it." Buffy waved dismissively and moved to take the now boiling water off the stove burner. As she steeped the tea, Spike looked at her quizzically.  
  
"Didn't you kill him a while back?"  
  
"That's what I said." Buffy snorted and shook her head. "Apparently, though the prophecy doesn't care. I so do not want to deal with him again! Did you ever meet him?"  
  
"Yeah, right ugly bugger as I recall. Ran across him once or twice back in the day. Darla was his favorite, and she'd bring her little family to show off to him from time to time."  
  
"He was ugly." Buffy agreed. "Rude, too. He killed me, you know. Tends to put him on my list of least favorite monsters, right after Glory."  
  
"And where am I on that list, pet?"  
  
"Oh, definitely before Glory. Right at the top!" While Buffy's reply sounded harsh, she said it lightly.  
  
Spike smiled; she was always easier to work with when she was in a good mood. As he remembered the topic of conversation though, his expression turned serious.  
  
"Can't say I really liked the bloke. Course, saying something like that about one's great-great-grandsire isn't the smartest course of action. At least not around him."  
  
"I imagine not." Buffy finished loading the tea tray and looked towards the living room. "What am I going to do about Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen in there?"  
  
Spike opened his mouth to reply and paused, turning his head so his ear faced the living room. After a moment he looked at the Slayer, clearly unamused by what he had overhead.  
  
"We'd better decide fast, pet. I think they're looking through your weapons chest."  
  
***  
  
Abe and Blair were so busy gawking at the contents of the wooden chest in the Summers' living room that they didn't hear Buffy and Spike return from the kitchen. Of course, the abilities inherent in a slayer and a vampire to enter a room soundlessly could have contributed to the two men's surprise when Buffy coldly interrupted them.  
  
"Find anything interesting?"  
  
The two jerked upright, sporting matching 'deer-in-the-headlights' expressions. Blair released the lid, and it fell shut with a thud while Buffy continued to glare, and Spike glowered over her should at the two.  
  
Blair was the first to recover his composure and said, "Ah, yes. As a matter of fact-"  
  
"You know what?" Buffy cut him off. "I don't really care. My private things are no business of yours. Why are you here? And if your answer is to snoop around my house, I'd advise you to leave now. Because I'm really not in the mood."  
  
Blair instinctively took a step backwards as the venom in the diminutive woman's voice reached his ears, suddenly unsure of himself.  
  
"We, ah, are journalistic investigators." Blair took a deep breath and reminded himself that regardless of how intimidating this woman could be, he was on the side of truth, justice, and the American right to a free press. Besides, neither the woman nor the man were all that big, surely they couldn't pose that much of a threat. "We are investigating, ah, vampires. And we heard you were the person to talk to about that."  
  
Buffy smiled a joyless smile and said, "Well, you heard wrong. And now I think it's time for you to go."  
  
"Oh, I see. Are you sure? Seems to me you have a variety of weapons designed to combat vampires here."  
  
"Am I sure that I'm not the person to talk to about vampires?" Buffy's voice was expressionless, but it made Abe think that he and Blair were being mocked by it more than all the sarcasm this girl could fling. She continued, "Yes, I'm quite sure." Turning to the bleached blond behind her, she asked him, "Do you know anyone these two could talk to about vampires?"  
  
He cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips as if seriously considering the question. "No, I don't think I do. After all, we are talking about vampires, right? Can't rightly say I know anything about that."  
  
"Oh, all right then." Blair pulled a card out of his pocket and headed for the front door. When he passed by Buffy, he held the card out to her, and said, "If you, ah, remember anything, give me a call. We'd be willing to pay you for your, ah, time. Our standard interview compensation is on the back. Think about it. We'll be in town for a few days."  
  
Buffy took the card thoughtfully. As Blair walked out the front door she realized that if they were serious about looking for vampires, they would probably be dead before the night was over. She grabbed Abe's elbow as he walked past her. Of the two, she suspected he would be more likely to take a warning to heart.  
  
"Be careful," she said softly. "This town can be very dangerous at night. It's best to stay inside."  
  
Abe nodded and followed Blair out of the house.  
  
On the front walk, heading up to the house were two women. Blair recognized both from the pictures in the living room. One was the red- haired woman; the other was the one he had pegged as the younger sister. He smiled and nodded at the two before he and Abe climbed into their rental car and drove away.  
  
Willow and Dawn came into the house. They were surprise to see Buffy standing in the doorway, with Spike behind her and slightly off to the side, out of the sunlight.  
  
"What's going on, Buffy? Who were they?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Reporters or something." Buffy responded, shaking her head and closing the door behind her best friend and sister. "They were asking about vampires. Imagine that."  
  
"Really?" Willow looked curious. "What did you tell them?"  
  
"That I really wasn't the person to ask."  
  
"And I'm sure they really believed that, pet." Spike interjected. "What with their bloody snooping through your weapons chest."  
  
"They saw the weapons?" Dawn asked worriedly.  
  
Spike nodded. "Between that and the snooping at my crypt earlier, I think it's safe to say they know something."  
  
"They were at your crypt? Did they see you? Are you okay?" Dawn looked anxiously between her sister and the vampire that had become almost like an older brother to her the previous summer.  
  
Buffy sighed and held up her hands and said, "Giles called earlier. We need to have a Scooby meeting. Let's move to the Magic Box and we can talk about both things there." She turned to Spike. "You can meet us there, right?"  
  
"Sure, luv."  
  
As Spike went to the kitchen to retrieve his blanket, he noticed the tea tray sitting forgotten on the counter. He considered dumping the tea in the sink and rinsing out the pot. Then he shook his head. *What am I, her bloody maid?*  
  
***  
  
As Abe and Blair drove away, Blair talked excitedly about his plans for the evening.  
  
"We need to stake out the cemetery tonight. And we should watch that crypt we were at this afternoon. Maybe we should split up."  
  
"I don't know, Blair," Abe interrupted. "I mean, I'm not sure it's safe."  
  
"Why not? Just because of the weapons that girl had? She's probably just some local nut job that collects antiques or something."  
  
"They seemed pretty well cared for and sharp." Abe pressed his case. "Not to mention garlic, holy water, and crosses aren't exactly standard antique weapons. Also, when we were leaving, she told me to be careful, that it wasn't safe at night. I think that girl knows more than she's saying."  
  
"You're probably right about that." Blair looked thoughtful before changing the subject. "Did you notice the guy who was there? Bleached- blond, British, scar on the left eyebrow? That's exactly the description my source gave me!"  
  
"Right." Abe suppressed the urge to point out that said source was Blair's ditzy new girlfriend, who he wouldn't give credit to for being able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Also, the girl seemed to think she was a vampire. She refused to leave the hotel during the day and had been adamant about the horrible things the Summers girl would do to her if she had accompanied them to the house. She had been so persuasive that Blair had forbidden Abe to mention her name during their fruitless interview. "What's the game plan, then?"  
  
"First things first," Blair replied. "We need to get the surveillance equipment from the hotel. I want to set up a camera on the door to that crypt and see who we can catch coming and going."  
  
tbc 


	4. Chapter 4

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 4  
  
At the Magic Box, Buffy and Spike had just finished retelling their respective encounters with the two reporters that day. The group had decided that they were probably harmless, although likely to get themselves killed wandering around town at night. Buffy shook her head resignedly.  
  
"I'll watch for them when I patrol, and I'll make sure they don't get eaten if they look like they're staking out the new graves or something equally stupid."  
  
"Like rummaging around in my crypt, you mean?" Spike asked.  
  
"Unless they're the magical chip-removing fairies, I don't think that qualifies as an activity that could get them eaten." Xander's sarcasm was almost tangible.  
  
"Look, Harris," Spike replied, already irritated with him, "if they keep poking around my crypt, they're going to run across me and then they're going to recognize me from being at Buffy's and then we'll be right back where we were this afternoon."  
  
"Would that be so bad?" Anya asked timidly. "They did offer to pay you, didn't they, Buffy? The exchange of currency for goods, or in this case, information and/or services is a cornerstone of our society."  
  
Buffy smiled slightly at Anya's exuberance over the joys of capitalism. "Yeah, they did offer to pay me. And I can't say it isn't tempting, but hello? Secret identity."  
  
"Oh, right," the former vengeance demon said, then brightened considerably as a new idea struck her. "But they have all those special effects and they can hide your identity and disguise your voice. You should really think about it, Buffy!"  
  
"I guess," the Slayer was hesitant, but the sum on the back of Blair's card, while not excessive, sure would help. Heck, it might even mean one month of bill paying without serious headaches. Defiantly worth some thought.  
  
Buffy shook her head and reminded herself that the reporters were not the primary reason for the meeting. She looked at the group and took a breath.  
  
"Giles called today." She watched the others' faces as they realized the significance of those three words.  
  
Xander was the first to speak. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing has to be wrong," Willow quickly pointed out, although she had a sinking feeling in her stomach telling her the opposite was true. "Giles can call just to talk."  
  
"No," Xander responded. "If Giles called, the world is probably ending. And now we're having a Scooby meeting about his call. Definite world endage."  
  
"That's just about what I said," Buffy chuckled humorously, watching the debate between her two best friends.  
  
"So, Buffy, i-is it w-world end-endage?" Tara asked quietly. Although she no longer felt as shy around this group, conversations about apocalypses tended to bring out her nervousness.  
  
"No." Buffy reassured the blond witch and then frowned. "Okay, well, maybe. Giles found a prophecy he wants us to work on. Something about the Master rising from the Hellmouth."  
  
"The Master?" Xander's worried face broke into a smile. "Hey, Buffy killed him a whole heck of a long time ago! No worries!"  
  
"Once again, that's exactly what I said. But Giles pointed out that prophecies, especially those involving the Hellmouth, have a tendency to come true. Yeah I killed him, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way he could come back."  
  
"Geez," Willow said, throwing her hands up in annoyance. "Doesn't anyone stay dead around here?"  
  
Silence descended on the shop as Willow's comment registered and the look of annoyance on her face changed to stunned horror.  
  
"Buffy, I didn't mean . . . I wasn't . . . I…" Willow was cut off by Buffy giggling. Actually giggling!  
  
"No, it's okay, Will," Buffy struggled to catch her breath and speak around her giggles. "I'm, I'm not laughing at you. Really. It's just, the dead staying dead seems like it should be such a given. But look at me. And, and Spike. I mean, he's still dead, but not dead-dead. And then there's Angel, he's on what, his third try? And don't even get me started on Darla. And we live on a Hellmouth! Vampire Central. And you, making that comment. I mean, Will, you've lived here all your life and seen a lot. And to top it all off, you can raise the dead!"  
  
By the end of her speech, Buffy's giggles had dissolved into something that sounded suspiciously close to sobs. She had bent over, hiding her face from the others' view. When she straightened up, the tracks on her cheeks confirmed the change from hysterical laughter to tears. She sighed and bit her bottom lip as she looked at the red head.  
  
"It's the Master," she said softly. Buffy shifted her gaze to the floor and continued. "He, he killed me. Granted, I was a lot younger and less experienced, but still, he killed me. And now, just when I'm beginning to want to live again…I don't…" Taking a deep breath, Buffy returned her gaze to meet Willow's.  
  
"Giles is e-mailing you the information we need to start researching. Let's get started." With that, Buffy turned and walked into the training room, leaving a group of stunned Scoobies behind her.  
  
"Okay, then," Willow broke the silence left by the Slayer's departure. "I'll check my e-mail and we can get started looking for prophecies about the Master."  
  
Tara noticed Dawn looking at the door her sister had gone through and laid a hand on the younger girl's arm. "Give her some time, Dawnie."  
  
Dawn nodded, joined Anya and Xander at the bookshelf, and began taking down books.  
  
Tara was the only one who noticed Spike slip quietly into the training room.  
  
***  
  
As Spike closed and locked the training room door quietly behind him, he saw the form on the Slayer huddled on the green loveseat. He sat down beside her and gently pulled her into his arms, rocking slightly.  
  
"Shh, luv. It'll be alright," he soothed.  
  
Buffy remained huddled in upon herself, but allowed Spike to draw her into his embrace. She whimpered quietly as tears streamed down her cheeks. Spike continued to rock her and whisper comforts into her hair.  
  
Finally, the sobbing slowed enough for her to talk. She relaxed farther into Spike's arms and stared at the wall across from her.  
  
"What if he kills me?" she whispered. "What if they brought me back just so I could suffer and then be killed by him again?"  
  
"He won't, luv. I won't let him."  
  
"But what if he does? It's not fair. I don't want to die. Not anymore. I can't take it. Besides, I didn't really enjoy it the first time. And, what if they bring me back again? I can't take that either."  
  
"Buffy, luv," Spike forced her to sit up and turned her so he could look her in the eyes. "When you were…gone last summer, I, it was the worst time of my life and unlife combined. I don't want to lose you again; I won't. I won't let him kill you."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise, luv. And you know I never break a promise to a lady."  
  
This drew a small smile from Buffy and Spike leaned down a pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. When he withdrew, he leaned back and settled her back against his chest, both staring at the wall.  
  
"And, Buffy," he deep voice broke the silence after a moment, "when the time comes, many, many years from now, mind you, for you to, to return to Heaven, I will do everything under the sun to make sure you bloody well stay there. I promise."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"What's that, luv?"  
  
"How long will you keep your promise, Spike?"  
  
He smiled, even though she couldn't see him.  
  
"Till the end of the world, luv. Even if that happens to be tonight."  
  
tbc 


	5. Chapter 5

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Xander pounded on the door to the training room. "Buffy? Pizza's here. We're going to break for food." He turned and looked at the others. "Hey, what happened to Deadboy, Jr.?"  
  
Tara's eyes widened. "I-I think he went out t-to smoke." She mentally chastisted herself for stuttering. *Great, might as well put a flashing neon sign over my head that says "I'm lying!"*  
  
Luckily, Xander failed to notice Tara's discomfort and took her statement at face value.  
  
"Yeah, well, at least he went outside this time," was all Xander said before turning his attention to the freshly delivered pizzas.  
  
Inside the training room, Spike's brow furrowed. He was sure Tara had seen him enter the training room. Why would she lie for him? Unless, she wasn't lying for him, but for Buffy.  
  
"Does the White Witch know something the others don't?" he asked Buffy.  
  
She turned her head in his direction, looking for all the world like the proverbial child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked sweetly.  
  
Spike was not fooled by her innocent act. He cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes playfully. "She saw me come in here, luv, but just now she lied through her teeth to the others and said I was out back smoking. Now why do you suppose that is?"  
  
Buffy was caught and she knew it.  
  
"I might of told her about you being able to hurt me," Buffy hedged.  
  
"That all, Slayer?"  
  
"Why wouldn't that be all?" Buffy suddenly found her fingernails very interesting.  
  
"Right." Spike snorted. "She knows I can hurt you and not only does she not tell the others, but she lies to keep them from finding me in here with you? Now why don't I believe that rot?"  
  
Buffy sighed and raised her gaze to meet Spike's. "I asked her to research the spell Willow used to bring me back, to see if I- if I came back wrong. And she did and I didn't. Well, not really. The spell just changed my body somehow so I don't register on the chip's radar. Tara said it was like a bad sunburn. She can explain it better. Anyway…"  
  
"And did you tell her anything else?" Spike pushed.  
  
"And I told her about . . ." Buffy trailed off, pointing between herself and Spike.  
  
"So, that's what she was going on about at the party that wouldn't end!" Spike exclaimed, Tara's behavior and comments from that night taking on a different meaning in light of this new information. He shook his head admiringly. *I didn't know she had it in her.*  
  
"I'd better go back in, Spike," Buffy said, interrupting his thoughts as she stood up.  
  
"Right, then. Looks like Glinda gave me an out," he replied. "I'll just slip out the back and have a smoke while you go in."  
  
***  
  
When Spike re-entered the shop a few minutes later, he found the Scoobies gathered around a book that lay in front of Willow. The red-head was busy typing the text of a passage into her laptop. She finished and looked up.  
  
"It'll take a minute to translate, and it won't be the best translation ever, but it should give us an idea if we're on the right track," she explained to the others.  
  
"What's going on, then?" Spike asked.  
  
"Ah, Evil Dead rears his ugly head," Xander said, looking over at Spike. "It just so happens, while you were out visiciously defeating your cancer sticks, we of the actual work doers found another prophecy."  
  
"Actually, it's probably the same prophecy." Tara spoke up. "Unless they're really big, they tend not to show up in more than one place. And sometimes not even then."  
  
"That's right, sweetie," Willow said. "From what Giles said, I think it's probably the same one, just a different book." She turned a smile to Xander. "It might have more information, though."  
  
She glanced at the computer screen as the translated text appeared. "Oh, here it is!" She scanned it quickly and reported, "Yup, same prophecy, pretty much the same info."  
  
"Well," said Buffy, "since those guys from tabloid central showed up when I was talking to Giles earlier, I haven't really heard much besides Master, Hellmouth, rising, blah, blah, blah. So, what else do we know?"  
  
Willow ducked her head. "Not much. There's some obscure astronomical references that Giles is busy calculating. They might give us a timeframe. Other than that, it's pretty much that the Master will rise from the Mouth of Hell."  
  
"But it doesn't say anything about the Buffster dying?" Xander asked.  
  
"No," Willow replied. "At least not that I've found yet."  
  
"How about needing my blood for him to rise?" Buffy asked. "Because that's what was needed last time, and considering my run of blood related rituals…"  
  
"Again, no. There's not much besides the basic 'The Master will rise.'" Willow replied.  
  
"Yea for vague prophecies," Buffy muttered disgustedly. "Well, I guess I'll go patrol. Dawn-"  
  
"Yeah, I'll go home with Willow," Dawn said, cutting her off. "I got it. It's not the first time, you know."  
  
Buffy smiled, "I know. I just want to make sure you're taken care of."  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine." She pointedly turned back to the book she had been looking through and started flipping pages.  
  
Buffy sighed and turned to Spike. "You coming?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, luv."  
  
tbc 


	6. Chapter 6

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Abe did not realize how lucky he was. At 2:00 in the morning, he had just returned to his hotel room after traipsing across town to the cemetery with the crypt he and Blair had visited earlier that day. After their aborted interview, Blair had insisted that they set up a camera to record anyone entering or exiting the crypt. Shortly after midnight, Abe had remembered that the tape in the camera was not long enough to last the entire night.  
  
He had then debated with himself about returning to the graveyard to insert a new tape. Certainly, that girl knew more than she was telling, and she had warned him not to go out at night. But he was a big guy and could handle himself. Besides, vampires didn't really exist, right? Sure, maybe some crackpot had set up house in the mausoleum and maybe he even drank real blood, but that didn't mean he actually was a cape-wearing, I-vant-to- suck-your-blood, creature-of-the-night vampire, right? And, if the tape ran out before sunrise, Blair would surely want to run the tape the next night. If changing the tape meant they could leave this creepy little town one day earlier, it was certainly worth it. After his common sense finished severely reprimanding his gut instinct, Abe left the hotel and changed the tape. His journey was a rarity; he traveled unmolested.  
  
Even as such, Abe's gut instinct had reasserted itself by the time he returned to the hotel room. A combination of adrenaline and morbid curiosity caused Abe to pop the tape in his VCR and give it a quick screening. As he watched the tape on fast-forward, and nothing happened for the first three hours, he began to relax. As the tape neared it's end, and Abe had all but convinced himself that he and Blair were on another fool's errand, two figures entered the camera's view.  
  
One was a man in a long, dark coat, while the other was a short woman. Both had light hair, and Abe squinted, trying to make out their features in the small, black and white picture. As he watched, the woman pushed the man up against the side of the crypt and began kissing him, almost violently. As the two continued to make out, another figure entered the screen, a man.  
  
Abe rubbed his eyes and moved closer to the television screen. He could have sworn that before he turned his back, the new man's face had been deformed, with lumps across the brow. As Abe watched, entranced, the three interacted. The woman spun around, and words were exchanged between the three. *It's really too bad we didn't set up an audio feed for the area near the crypt,* Abe mused.  
  
Suddenly the woman punched the new man square in the nose. He reeled, and appeared to appeal to the other man for help. The man in the long, dark coat simply shrugged as if to say, "She does that to me all the time." As the woman continued her assault on the man, she reached behind her as if to pull something out of her back pocket. When her had emerged from behind her back empty, her face took on an expression of long suffering hardship and untold toil.  
  
As she called over her shoulder to her companion, he had already pulled what appeared to be a wooden stake from the pocket of his coat and thrown it in her direction. Without looking, the woman reached out in one fluid motion, grabbed it, and plunged it into the chest of the man she was fighting.  
  
Abe was surprised. While this obviously wasn't vampires, violent midnight attacks in cemeteries was a just as good, if not better, story. Perhaps it was some kind of gang initiation ritual. Even as the thought crossed his mind, Abe's surprise turned into shock. The man that the woman had just stabbed had disappeared. Abe rewound the tape and watched it again. No, the man didn't disappear; he exploded into dust moments after the woman's stake plunged into his body. Even more appalling was that the woman dusted her hands off nonchalantly and turned to her companion, apparently with every intention of picking up where they had left off.  
  
The two exchanged a few words, and then the man's face changed. No longer was it a face of smooth planes and sculpted cheekbones. Now it was bumpy and disfigured. In fact, Abe realized, it was similar to the way the other man's face had looked. As the man smiled at the woman, Abe also saw that he had fangs! Aghast, Abe continued to watch as the two began to exchange blows.  
  
Both were very skilled fighters, and the fight was obviously more of a sparring match than an actual brawl. However, Abe was still unprepared for the two to suddenly switch from violence to passion. As they started kissing again, the woman jumped up and wrapped her legs around the man's waist. Then, still kissing, he carried her into the crypt.  
  
Abe watched the tape three more times before he realized that he had seen the couple before. They were the two Blair had spoken to that afternoon during his ill-fated interview.  
  
***  
  
On the other side of the planet, in a flat in Bath, a middle-aged watcher removed his glasses and absently cleaned them on his shirt. He replaced them and looked at the translations and calculations before him. They had not changed during the time he could not see them. He spoke, but even as the words left his mouth, he was reaching for the telephone.  
  
"Oh, dear Lord."  
  
tbc 


	7. Chapter 7

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Spike watched Buffy dress and ascend the ladder out of the lower part of his crypt from underneath his eyelids. Both knew his façade of sleep to be just that, but neither acknowledged it as such. It hurt less if he pretended to be asleep; she didn't have to make unkind excuses and he didn't have to listen to them or pathetically try and convince her to stay.  
  
After he heard the crypt door close behind her, he sat up in bed. He rose and dressed at a leisurely pace, savoring the slowly fading smell of Buffy's perfume. After he finished, he made his way upstairs and headed to the refrigerator.  
  
He opened the door and pulled out the first jar of blood his hand reached. Spike paused; something about it seemed off. He shook his head. After all, he knew those nosey blokes had gone poking around in his fridge earlier that afternoon. It was only natural that the jar should not be as he had left it.  
  
Spike walked over to the television and switched it on before flopping down on the sofa. As he sat, he opened the container and took a long drink. The woman on the television was trying to sell a mop, designed especially for hardwood floors. Spike gazed pointedly at the packed earth that formed the floor of his crypt and snorted.  
  
"'S not gonna do me a lotta good, ya scilly bint!" he slurred. Then he paused, shaking his head. He didn't remember drinking that night, so why was he talking like a drunken child? He suddenly found he had difficulty focusing his thoughts, and the jar of blood slipped from between nerveless fingers, splattering red liquid as it hit the ground and tipped on its side, allowing the contents to escape.  
  
He heard the door to his crypt open, and with great effort, Spike turned his head to see who his visitor was. He barely had time to focus on the figure who had just entered his crypt.  
  
"You!" he cried.  
  
And then the world went black.  
  
***  
  
Across town, Blair awoke to an unrelenting pounding on his hotel room door. He opened it a crack to reveal Abe's excited face.  
  
"You have to come see this, Blair!"  
  
Blair peered at his cameraman through bleary eyes and looked at his watch.  
  
"What time is it?" he queried when his eyes refused to focus on the small numbers.  
  
"Just after three." Abe replied. "Come on!"  
  
"Abe-" Blair started.  
  
"I know. It's late, but trust me. You want to see this!" Abe insisted.  
  
"Okay, okay. Just a sec." Blair shut the door and pulled on his jeans and a sweater. He turned to tell his girlfriend that he was leaving, only to discover she wasn't there. He just shrugged. She was a bit of a night owl and often went for walks in the middle of the night.  
  
He opened the door again and locking it behind him, followed Abe to his room. Once there, Abe gestured to a chair in front of the TV.  
  
"Sit," Abe said and started the tape just before the man and woman entered the screen.  
  
After the tape finished, Blair turned and looked at Abe, questions clearly evident on his face.  
  
"That's from the crypt." It wasn't a question and Abe only nodded in reply.  
  
Blair continued, "And those two are the two from this afternoon."  
  
"And . . ." Abe prompted.  
  
"And they killed someone." Blair said, even as the pieces fell into place in his head.  
  
"Or something," Abe suggested. "What happens to vampires when they die?"  
  
"I don't know." Blair replied. "I've sure as hell never heard that they explode into dust, though."  
  
"Yeah, but does that happen to humans when they die?"  
  
"No. Definitely no."  
  
"So," Abe pushed, "vampires or something else. It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, it sure ain't human and they know something about it. And we've got proof."  
  
Blair smiled. "You think they're still there?" he asked, pointing at the crypt still on the television screen.  
  
"I don't know, but I think it's worth checking out."  
  
***  
  
The two journalists crept up to the crypt door, listening for any sounds of danger. Hearing none, Blair boldly pushed the door open and strode in, his trepidation from earlier in the day forgotten in light of his newly acquired video evidence. Abe followed him into the crypt. The two men stopped just over the threshold. The woman was nowhere to be seen. However, the bleached-blonde man they were looking for appeared to be asleep on the sofa, and a small, middle-aged man with short gray hair was bending over him.  
  
The second man heard them enter and quickly stood up. Something about the man's posture screamed "GUILTY!" at Abe, but he shrugged the feeling off.  
  
The man smiled slightly and asked, "Can I help you?" as if it was normal for two strange men to barge in upon him in a crypt in the middle of the night.  
  
"Yes," Blair replied, "We are here to speak with your associate." He indicated the blonde lying on the couch.  
  
"I'm afraid now isn't a very good time," the man's soft voice re-assured Abe's unsettled mind. "Why don't you try back in the morning? I'm sure he'll be happy to speak with you then."  
  
The man turned from them and began muttering under his breath, effectively dismissing them.  
  
Abe yawned, suddenly realizing how tired he was. *I'll just rest my eyes a second,* he thought as he sat down on the crypt floor. As his eyes fluttered closed, he noticed that Blair was already lying on his side, snoring.  
  
The strange man looked the two humans over and smiled a devious smile, much different from the reassuring one he had recently given them.  
  
"They'll do just fine."  
  
tbc 


	8. Chapter 8

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Buffy heard the phone ringing through the haze of sleep. She decided to ignore it and pulled a pillow over her head. A minute later, Willow knocked on her door and stuck her head into the room.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Hrmmph." Buffy's grunt of acknowledgement was muffled as she kept her head under the pillow.  
  
"Buffy, it's Giles."  
  
Buffy sighed, and pulled the pillow off her head and stuck her hand out for the phone.  
  
Willow gave her the phone and tiptoed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her. It was six o'clock in the morning and Willow had heard Buffy come in three short hours before. Willow knew from experience that a sleep-deprived slayer equaled a cranky slayer.  
  
Buffy put the phone to her ear and quietly asked, "Giles?"  
  
"I'm sorry to ring you so early, Buffy," he said, "but I have some rather unsettling news."  
  
"The Master needs not only Dawn's blood, but Willow and Xander's too to open a portal and suck the world into hell and the only way to stop it is to kill everyone I've ever know, with exceptionally slow and painful deaths for anyone who's ever been my lover?"  
  
"I see Willow was correct that you are in need of more sleep."  
  
"I'm sorry, Giles," Buffy apologized. "I am tired, but that's not an excuse."  
  
"No, it's not," Giles agreed. "I did wait until this morning to ring, but I fear waiting longer. You may sleep after you save the world."  
  
"Ah, Giles, I'll bet you say that to all the Slayers. So, what's the news?"  
  
"I have completed my translations, and it seems that the Master's ascension, as it were, is scheduled for tonight."  
  
Buffy sat up, suddenly wide-awake. "Two questions. One, you don't mean ascension as in giant snake ascension, right?"  
  
"No, no giant snakes."  
  
"Good. Two, tonight?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Not that I doubt you, Giles, but I thought prophecies were of the vague about exact dates?"  
  
"Generally, yes, they are," Giles replied. "However, one of the versions of this prophecy contains some obscure astronomical references. Based on my research, I have determined that they point to tonight as the date for the Master to rise."  
  
"Well, if that's the case," Buffy said, rising from the bed, "I guess we start preparing early today. I'll get everyone at the Magic Box and we'll give you a call. Xander will have to work, but I think Willow only has one class today."  
  
"Right, then. It's too late for me to fly over in time, so I'll continue researching here and see what else I can find."  
  
"Talk to you later, Giles. Thanks for the info." Buffy hung up the phone and threw one last longing glance at the comfort of her bed before turning to face the day.  
  
  
  
***  
  
"Dawn."  
  
Dawn looked up from her math notebook when her teacher spoke. The woman held out a pink slip of paper, a pass to be excused from class. Dawn sighed and took it from her. *If this is for the Counseling office…* Dawn thought, idly entertaining thoughts of the vengeance she would like to inflict on that demon friend of Anya's who had trapped everyone in the house on Buffy's birthday. She looked at the slip. Nope, no counseling today; the slip summoned her to the Attendance office.  
  
Dawn gathered her books and vainly tried to remember what she had done recently that could get her in trouble with the Attendance office. She had been pretty responsible about attending class and completing her homework since the heart to heart she and Buffy had after that horrible party. While it had only been a few days, Dawn was sure that all her previous transgressions had already been caught.  
  
She walked into the Attendance office and tried her best to look innocent, even though she was no stranger there.  
  
"Hello, Dawn," the secretary said, looking up from her desk. She held out a clipboard and said, "Sign here."  
  
"Why?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Your father's here, honey. He already signed you out, but I need your signature, too."  
  
"Dad's here? Really? Where?" Dawn looked around excitedly.  
  
"He said it was a family emergency. He's going to pull the car around front and asked to have you go on out when you got here." The woman smiled sympathetically. "I hope everything's okay."  
  
Dawn turned and left the office hurriedly. An emergency? She fervently hoped it wasn't Buffy. *It probably isn't,* Dawn rationalized. As often as Buffy had been hurt – heck, even killed – in the past, and as likely as Dawn knew it was that someday she would be greeted with news of her sister's third death, she also knew it wasn't likely to occur in the middle of the day. Not to mention that her father would be the last person to know if something had happened to Buffy.  
  
So what then was this emergency? *He probably married his bloody trull of a secretary* Dawn decided, smiling when she realized she had incorporated some of Spike's vocabulary into her own. *Probably better not let Buffy hear me say that, though!*  
  
She saw a small, red sports car parked at the curb in front of the school. As she approached, she recognized Hank Summers sitting in the driver's seat.  
  
"Dad!" she exclaimed, surprised to see the man who had been conspicuously absent from her and Buffy's lives for the past few years.  
  
"Hi, honey!" He smiled at her. "Get in."  
  
As Dawn buckled herself in, she asked, "What's going on? The secretary said it was an emergency."  
  
Hank laughed. "I just wanted to see you while I was in town. I only told them that so they'd let you out."  
  
Dawn was delighted to have her father all to herself, but she rolled her eyes at his lie. *His lies of convenience and Buffy's Slayer-related lying as role models, and they wonder where I get it!*  
  
"So, where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"I have a surprise to show you, honey," he answered. "How's school going?"  
  
Dawn rattled on about her classes and the most recent gossip about her classmates as Hank drove. Shortly, he pulled up in front of a house near the blackened remains that had once been Sunnydale High and stopped the car.  
  
"Why are we here?" Dawn interrupted her report to ask.  
  
"I told you, it's a surprise." He answered, coming around the car to open Dawn's door.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Dawn nearly skipped up the walk to the house, Hank following her closely. When she reached the front door she paused and looked back at the man accompanying her. He smiled and gestured for her to go on in.  
  
Dawn opened the door and stepped across the threshold, peering into the darkened interior. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, Hank followed her in and closed the door. Dawn saw a familiar figure across the room, sitting in a chair. She stepped closer.  
  
"Spike?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.  
  
The figure struggled to overcome the drugs still pumping though his system and raised his head. His eyes widened when he saw her.  
  
"Nibblet!" he whispered hoarsely, "get out!"  
  
Suddenly Dawn was grabbed from behind and a foul smelling cloth shoved in front of her face. She struggled to escape Hank's grasp, but he was too strong. The chloroform overwhelmed her and she passed out. Hank lowered her onto the couch and quickly bound her hand and foot. He then pulled at a chain around his neck, breaking it and removing a small leather pouch from inside his shirt. Once the chain broke, his appearance wavered and then changed, revealing his true self.  
  
tbc 


	9. Chapter 9

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Buffy looked up from the book she was reading as Willow stood up to leave.  
  
"Have a good time in class, Wills."  
  
"Are you sure I shouldn't stay here and help research?" Willow asked worriedly.  
  
"We haven't found anything yet, and there's probably not much else for us to find," Buffy replied. "Besides, you need to go to class. It's who you are. You'll just worry about missing it if you stay here."  
  
"She's right," Tara said.  
  
"Yes," Anya agreed enthusiastically. "I read that too much time on one task makes it harder to concentrate. Class will be a nice break and it's perfect for you because you think studying is fun."  
  
Willow smiled at Anya's correct, if somewhat skewed logic.  
  
"I'm taking a break, too," Buffy said. "I'm going to take Dawn to eat during her lunch period and bring her up to date."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yup," Buffy nodded. "Since our escape from my latest and greatest birthday escapade, I've been trying to spend more time with her and make an effort to make sure she feels included."  
  
"And make sure she works off her debt to the store," Anya reminded her.  
  
"That too," Buffy agreed. "And after lunch, I'll stop by Spike's crypt and recruit him for research duty. Tara, Anya, feel free to break, too. Get something to eat. Maybe take a nap."  
  
Buffy stifled a yawn and headed for the door.  
  
"A nap wouldn't be a bad idea for any of us," Tara said pointedly.  
  
Buffy just smiled. "Naw, I'm good. I can sleep after I kill that bastard again."  
  
***  
  
Forty minutes later, Buffy burst through the front door of the Magic Box and looked wildly around.  
  
"Have you guys seen Dawn or Spike?" she demanded.  
  
"No, no one's been in since you left," Anya said. "Not even any customers."  
  
"Buffy, what's wrong?" Tara asked, seeing the almost desperate look in Buffy's eyes.  
  
"I went to the school, but she's not there. They said Dad signed her out earlier today for a family emergency. Then I went to Spike's to get his help to look for Dawn, but he's not there either."  
  
"Well, he is quite resourceful at traveling during the day," Anya pointed out.  
  
"I think something's wrong. There was this jar of blood spilled on the floor."  
  
"Was anything else disturbed?" Tara asked. "Did it look like he fought something, maybe?"  
  
"No, everything else looked normal." Buffy began to pace nervously. "But guys, it's not like him to waste blood, except in a drunken fit. But that would mean shattered glass and lots of slpattered blood, not just spilled. I mean, it's blood! You remember the 'Blood Is Life' speech? Well, let's just say I've heard the cliff notes version more than once. Combine that with Dawn's disappearing act and I'm worried. Spike can take care of himself, but they're both missing. And the Master is supposed to rise today. Anyone want to tell me how this can be of the good?"  
  
"I don't think it is." Willow's voice caused Buffy to turn around.  
  
"I was thinking during class," Willow continued. "About how the Master could rise again. I mean, no bones equals no rising, right? At least not the way they tried to do it before. But then I thought, 'What if it's like Angel's soul?'"  
  
"What?" Buffy asked. "How?"  
  
"Well, I think the Master rising again is more a question of metaphysics than physics," Willow explained.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Okay, um, take for example, Angel. When you sent him to Hell, you sent his whole body, soul and demon, right?"  
  
Buffy nodded.  
  
"So, when he came back, he was the same Angel with the same parts. Just some psychological damage, right?"  
  
Buffy nodded again.  
  
"So, let's say there are three parts that make up Angel: the body that was the human him, his soul, and his demon. When he lost the soul, he still had the body and the demon. But he didn't change physically because the soul isn't tangible. You can't see or feel or taste or touch it. It isn't physical. You with me so far?"  
  
By this time all three women were listening attentively to Willow's explanation.  
  
"Good. So, it's fair to say that a human, before turning, is the other two: body and soul, right? And since the body only changes a little appearance wise, I think it's safe to say the lumpies and fangs are an effect of the change, only a representation of the demon. And we know that when you dust a vamp, the demon returns to Hell. That means that the demon isn't tangible either."  
  
"So, just like you called Angel's soul and rejoined it to his body and demon, someone could call the Master's demon and put it in a new body?" Buffy asked, desperately hoping that she wasn't correct in picking up on Willow's train of thought.  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"But, the process to put a demon in a human body if fairly simple. It's what keeps me in business." Buffy said. "So, how are we going to stop this? It could be any vampire sired in the last day or so!"  
  
"No." Anya said. "When someone is turned they get a demon, yes. But it's a random demon. The sire doesn't get to choose. And they generally don't remember previous lives, if they've had any."  
  
"Deamons c-can be re-incarnated?" Tara asked. "I wonder how demon karama works?"  
  
"Oh, you know, probably if you're a big bad-ass demon, you get to be a whimpy demon next time. Or would you be an even bigger bad-ass?" Buffy asked, confused.  
  
"Angle's curse called for a specific soul, not just any soul." Willow continued her explination, refocusing the conversation. "There's probably a similar spell that can call a specific demon."  
  
"Okay, so we'll look for spells that can do that," Buffy said. "But that still doesn't explain why Dawn and Spike are missing."  
  
"W-well," Willow said, "spells that powerful are going to need something powerful to power them. There's a good chance a spell that dark would call for a human sacrifice to provide that power."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. "And Spike?"  
  
Willow looked at the floor and continued, "S-sometimes, too, they call for a demon sacrifice."  
  
Tara stood and moved to Buffy's side, not liking the conclusions she was drawing. "I-if I were g-g-going to raise the Master, I th-think one of the first things I'd want to-to do is take the most effective slayer to date, not to mention the girl who killed him before, out of the picture. A- a-and I mi-might think the best way to do that is to g-g-go after her loved ones."  
  
Buffy looked up at Tara, stricken by the implications of what she had just said. "No!" The blond Slayer shook her head. As Tara watched, the horror in her eyes turned to a mixture of anger and resolve. "I'm not losing anyone else!"  
  
tbc 


	10. Chapter 10

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Giles hasn't found anything either about a spell to raise a specific demon," Buffy said resignedly as she hung up the phone and turned to face the Scoobies. "He thinks Willow's explanation is as good as any and we should just be prepared for anything. Only he said it more British."  
  
"Giles wants us to be boy scouts?" Xander's quip was ignored by the others.  
  
"Why Dawn and Spike, though?" Willow wondered aloud. "I mean, it's not like Dawn's the key anymore and there's nothing special about Spike, other than the chip, but I don't think I've ever seen a spell that called for a government-chipped vampire as an ingredient. And this is Sunnydale. There's tons of vampires around and a lot of them would be easier to catch than Spike. He's harmless, but he's not stupid. And I can't even count how many humans there are who're a lot dumber and less protected than Dawn if they're looking for any old human to sacrifice. And I'm rambling and I'm gonna stop now."  
  
"N-no, Willow," Tara said. "That's a good point. Whoever it is clearly targeted Dawn and Spike specifically. It might help us to know why."  
  
"It's because of me." Buffy's quite voice brought everyone's attention to her.  
  
"Okay, I get Dawn," Xander said, "but why Captain Peroxide? Sure he helps us out now and then, but if the idea was to hurt you, any one of us would be a better target. Not that I'm volunteering to be kidnapped."  
  
"Or sacrificed!" Anya exclaimed. "You can't volunteer to be sacrificed either, because then you couldn't love me and give me orgasms."  
  
Buffy knew that if anyone knew about her relationship with Spike, they would have plenty of reason to think she could be hurt by kidnapping him. However, she also didn't want to reveal this to the others.  
  
"Spike is the only vampire in our group," Tara pointed out, knowing Buffy's lack of eagerness to explain why Spike would make a good target.  
  
"And if they need a vampire sacrifice…" Xander trailed off, allowing the others to make the connection in their heads.  
  
"But we're just assuming they need sacrifices." Anya pointed out. "They may not. Dawn and Spike may be bait."  
  
"Again with the Why Spike?" Xander spoke up.  
  
"Does it really matter?" Buffy's head snapped up and her features changed from sad to resolved. "They're missing. We're going to get them back. End of story. Got it?"  
  
She looked at each of the other faces around the room and when they nodded agreement, she stood.  
  
"Good. Everybody load up. We're taking a trip to the Hellmouth."  
  
***  
  
Spike slowly gained consciousness. He kept instinctively still while his brain fought through the fog. Once his mind cleared, he took stock of his situation. Spike could tell that there were heavy metal rings around his wrists and ankles, probably manacles. He sighed in his head; manacles meant chains and chains were much harder to escape from than rope. Still unmoving, he extended his senses. He could hear four separate heartbeats in the room. Spike sniffed the air. Three humans and one demon. He wasn't sure what kind of demon it was, but it wasn't a vampire. Slowly, he opened his eyes just far enough to peer out from underneath his lashes. Hopefully, anyone watching him would not be able to tell he was awake.  
  
All he could see was that he was in a dusty, dirty room. The air had enough flow in it to tell Spike that wherever he was, it was above ground and open to the outside, at least in spots. However, there was also a faint underpinning scent of sulfur and smoke, as if the room had at one time burned.  
  
Unable to detect anymore of the room, Spike decided to take his chances and move his head. He turned his gaze to the center of the room. He could see three large poles, forming a triangle around the middle of the open space. Tied to each pole was a person. All were unconscious. Spike recognized the two men who had tried to interview Buffy about vampires, and he already knew who the third person was: Dawn.  
  
The demon was still hidden from his line of sight, so Spike continued to examine the room. It looked familiar. Spike was certain he had been here before, but he couldn't remember when or why. Of course, Spike had seen more than his share of burned out holes-in-the-ground in his 120 year existence, but very few since he last came to Sunnydale. As he was trying to connect his memories with the room before him, he heard a familiar voice say, "Good, you're awake."  
  
"You should've stayed gone, mate."  
  
"No witty comments about letting dead demons lie this time?" the other mocked him.  
  
Spike craned his neck to look at his captor.  
  
"Look, Doc, Dawn ain't the key no more. That was a one shot, right time, right place kind of deal. 'Sides, Glory's dead. As in the not- coming-back kind of dead. So your little scheme isn't going to work."  
  
Doc smiled, and Spike felt a chill go up his spine, defying his already low body temperature.  
  
"This isn't about her magnificence, Glorificus. Not directly." He lowered his voice and leaned over Spike. "Did you ever give your lady your regrets?"  
  
"This is about hurting the Slayer," Spike said, the pieces falling into place. "She beat that stupid bint and now you're going to hurt her by hurting kid sis."  
  
Doc nodded. "And her lover."  
  
With Doc's words still hovering above him, Spike's memories clicked into place and he realized where they were: the Hellmouth. 


	11. Chapter 11

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Dawn's return to awareness lacked the stealth Spike's had possessed. As the chloroform wore off, she remembered the panic she had experienced before losing consciousness and adrenaline flooded her system. Her eyes shot open and she gulped in air through an open mouth, preparing to scream. Before she could make a sound, though, the only man in the room who wasn't restrained straightened from his crouched position over another being huddled on the floor. A still relaxed part of her mind absently noted his freedom and assigned him the label of today's Big Bad. He quickly turned and his tongue shot out across the room and smacked her lightly in the forehead. The unexpected and slightly absurd gesture startled Dawn out of her scream.  
  
"Good keys don't scream. Even if there isn't anyone to hear them." Doc reprimanded her softly.  
  
First recognition, then horrified understanding crossed Dawn's face before her features settled into a fair impression of her older sister's infamous I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass expression. As she spoke, Spike idly wondered if she had been practicing in front of a mirror.  
  
"I'm not the key anymore, old man." Dawn's voice was icy and held no hint of the whiny teenager she so often sounded like. "Whatever hell dimension you're trying to open, I can't do it. But by the time my sister is through with you, you'll be begging for hell."  
  
"Big words from such a small girl. Too bad you won't be around to see your sister's death."  
  
"Been there, done that. Heck, even picked out the tombstone. Try something new for once, why don't ya?"  
  
"What?" Doc's voice reflected his puzzlement. He knew the Slayer was alive; he'd been observing her for a while, plotting his revenge. So what was the child babbling on about?  
  
"Don't worry," Dawn assured him, "she got better." Her face twisted into a smirk Spike recognized. It was one he wore when he had gotten in an especially good verbal barb, usually while fighting the Slayer.  
  
"Bit's got a point," he spoke up from his place on the floor. "Slayer's gonna kick your ass for taking me and little sis. Then she's gonna kick it again for the last time you hurt the Nibblet. And then again for trying to open the Hellmouth. And possibly once more on a matter of principle."  
  
"Yeah, she hasn't been in a real great mood lately, and she likes to remedy that with demon slayage," Dawn added, encouraged by Spike's litany of Doc's crimes. "I wouldn't expect to walk away with all my pieces intact, if I were you."  
  
"By the time I'm finished, I'll have more pieces than I started with, little girl." Doc said, dismissing the chained vampire and the bound key as he turned stepped across Spike and rummaged around in the shadows at the edge of the room.  
  
"Ooooh. And the award for unfunny, lame-ass comebacks goes to…" Dawn said quietly, as if to herself, but still loudly enough to be heard.  
  
"Such a funny little girl." Doc turned and his ebony black eyes pierced through the darkness. "I wonder, will you laugh when I bleed you or beg me to stop like last time?"  
  
Dawn's face paled at Doc's words, but she refused to give any other reaction. However, seeing her discomfort, Doc pressed his advantage.  
  
"Do you know what you're doing here, key?"  
  
"Auditioning for 'The Crucible?'" Dawn asked sweetly, thankful that her English Lit class was at least good for providing punning material.  
  
During the exchange, Blair and Abe had awoken. Both were confused by their location, not to mention being tied to wooden poles. Blair's eyes grew big when he heard Dawn's words.  
  
"Y-y-you're going to burn us?" he exclaimed, wildly trying to twist his head so he could see who Dawn was speaking with.  
  
"No burning. At least, not yet," Doc replied, still standing out of Blair's line of sight. "First, I'm going to bleed you."  
  
"Oh, that's original!" Dawn scoffed. Her courage was returning, and she was intent on keeping Doc talking for as long as she could, knowing every moment she stalled was one more moment Buffy had to find her.  
  
"Then he's going to open the Hellmouth. Any burning that occurs once you're in hell is just a bonus," Spike told the reporter.  
  
"Indeed," was Doc's only response.  
  
"Again, how original," Dawn said dryly. "What's the matter, Doc? Couldn't think of a villainous plan without your precious Glory? Had to fall back on a Big Bad standby, opening the Hellmouth?"  
  
"Hey! Don't be comparing me to this git, Platelet. I NEVER tried to open the Hellmouth!"  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes at Spike's defensive comment. "I don't think that really helps your status as the Big Bad, Spike."  
  
Abe couldn't believe that the two were bickering. Here they were, tied up (or chained in the case of the blonde man on the ground) and they were arguing, almost playfully! Recognizing Spike from the aborted interview, Abe directed his attention to the vampire.  
  
"What's going on here?"  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Save me from helpless victims. What's it bloody well look like is going on? Lizard boy's looking for a Slayer- sponsored beating."  
  
Doc's foot caught Spike square in the back of the head as he walked by the prone vampire.  
  
"Ow! You bloody git, that hurt!"  
  
Doc ignored him and approached Blair's pole, circling it to face the terrified man. In one hand he held a pewter bowl. Dawn noted the designs on the side; it was clearly ceremonial. In the other hand, Doc carried a large, wicked looking knife, identical to the one he had used to cut her atop Glory's tower the previous spring. *He buy those in bulk or what?* she thought.  
  
Blair was shaking and he tried desperately to plead with the demon. "T-t-there's no need for anyone to get hurt, here. We-we can work something out. Th-the people I work for, they'll pay you. Anything you want."  
  
"I want your blood."  
  
"Oh, i-i-is that all. H-how about we get a nice sterile needle and I'll donate some to your cause?"  
  
"Like that's really going to work," Dawn snorted. She continued, with false cheer, "Hey, at least he didn't say he 'vanted to suck your blood.'" She finished the last phrase in a horrible impression of a Transylvanian accent.  
  
"No, I believe that's his line." Doc said, gesturing to Spike.  
  
"Bloody Hell, Bit, how many times have I told you? No self respecting vampire talks like that, not even that ponce, Dracula!"  
  
"I knew it!" Abe glared accusingly at Spike. "I knew you two knew more than-"  
  
His exclamation was cut short by Blair's cry when Doc sliced him lightly across the abdomen.  
  
"Let me guess," Dawn said dryly, "Shallow cuts?"  
  
Doc's only response was to slice Blair again, and hold the bowl under his cuts to catch the blood.  
  
tbc 


	12. Chapter 12

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Once a sufficient amount of Blair's blood had collected in the bowl, Doc turned and moved towards Abe, obviously intent on repeating the action. The man blanched as the knife-wielding demon approached him. Blair's cries had trialed off to whimpers.  
  
As Doc faced Abe, fully turning his back on Spike, the vampire began struggling with his chains, trying to break their hold yet keep them from rattling at the force he was applying. Even though Spike was winning the battle to keep his movements quite, Doc spun and his tongue flicked across the room again. Dawn saw his intent and cried out to warn her friend.  
  
"Spike!"  
  
The surprise vampire rolled, just barely avoiding being hit. From the sharp whistle through the air over him, he could tell that this time Doc had not intended a gentle tap like he'd given Dawn earlier. This time he was out for blood. *I guess both figuratively and literally,* Spike thought wryly.  
  
"You can't escape." Doc reprimanded him in a deceptively soft voice. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to miss the show."  
  
"Considering the outcome last time you were involved, can't say as I'm all that excited to catch the show, Doc." The vampire wrinkled his nose and pointedly turned his head away from the air through which the demon's tongue had just passed. "You might want to invest in some tic-tacs, though."  
  
"I'm not talking about the Hellmouth or its assorted creatures." Doc turned his back on the vampire once more and quickly sliced Abe's stomach. The cameraman could not contain a small cry as the pain registered.  
  
Doc held the bowl under Abe's cuts and as the blood flowed into it, he looked over his shoulder. With a nod in Dawn's direction, he said, "I'm talking about bleeding the girl a soulless demon fights so hard for. Too bad there are no towers to push you off of this time."  
  
Abe felt a chill go down his spine as the vampire narrowed his eyes.  
  
"You know how I got my name, old man?" Spike practically growled the question.  
  
Doc simply raised an eyebrow, apparently nonplussed by the predatory threat underlying the question. "I believe I did hear something about that once. It is due to your incessant desire to fight against your own kind by the Slayer's side and follow her around like a love-sick puppy that you are called 'Traitor,' is it not?"  
  
"Back in the day," Spike began, ignoring the demon's taunt, "I had a bit of a penchant for torturing blokes with railroad spikes. Haven't done it in a while, but I'd wager it's just like riding a bicycle. Touch the girl and you'll find out."  
  
"I don't think you'll be in any position to make good on that threat by the time we're finished here," Doc said mildly before turning his attention to the bowl that was collecting Abe's blood. Deciding that he had gathered enough, he turned in Dawn's direction.  
  
Blair had been struggling to follow the events around him. As it was, between the blood loss and the strangeness of the situation, he was nearly hysterical.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his voice strong yet pitched higher than he wanted by fear.  
  
"Just another ritual blood letting on the Hellmouth." It was Dawn who replied dryly, her eyes never leaving Doc. Some of Spike's earlier comments, along with a vague feeling of familiarity from her surroundings caused a piece of the puzzle to click into place. She realized they were in the old high school, the one Buffy and Co. had blown up during their graduation ceremony. "Although, considering our location, I'd say this one is a lot closer to the actual Hellmouth than most."  
  
Though she had been speaking to Blair, she now directed her comments at Doc. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I wasn't the Key anymore. You can bleed me all you like. I won't be opening any dimensional portals. And certainly not the Hellmouth."  
  
"HELLMOUTH?" Blair's cry was ignored all around.  
  
Doc leaned close to Dawn and whispered conspiratorially. "Guess what? I don't need the key. Just three human sacrifices. Our…" he paused, searching for the right word, "history, while fun, is unimportant. Watching you bleed, knowing your blood will help summon the only demon to ever kill your sister…"  
  
Dawn's eyes widened and her face paled even more. He couldn't possibly mean he was going to resurrect Glory! *Wait, when I talked about Buffy's death before, he was clueless. Why?* Dawn's thought's raced through her head. She could only surmise that the demon preparing to cut her open wasn't talking about his recently departed hellgod.  
  
"Knowing that your blood, so much like hers, helped to open the Hellmouth and raise Aurelius…that's just a bonus." As he finished his whispered rantings, he flicked his wrist back and forth, neatly slitting Dawn across the abdomen. Hardened by the events of the past year, she had already promised herself she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry this time. Although surprised by the violent act, Dawn managed to swallow her scream before it escaped her lips.  
  
Only Dawn and Spike had been able to hear all of Doc's tirade. Abe had heard some, but the two men were still generally clueless as to the hows and whys of their situation. Blair continued to demand answers, while everyone else continued to ignore him.  
  
However, Dawn still had some questions, and as Doc concentrated on catching her dripping blood, she mouthed one word to Spike over Doc's shoulder: "Aurelius?"  
  
"The Master?" Spike scoffed. "Sorry to tell you, mate, but he's dead. As in dust and little, bitty bone fragments, courtesy the Slayer."  
  
"If you only need three sacrifices, why's he here?" Abe spoke, lifting his chin to indicate Spike.  
  
"He's a little present for the Master. I believe killing disobedient childer was a favorite pastime of his." As he answered, Doc strode across the room and, setting the bowl down, picked up some candles and placed them in a large circle around the three tied to the poles.  
  
"Children?" Abe asked, confused. "He needs human sacrifices to call your father? Haven't you folks ever heard of calling collect?"  
  
"No, you pillock." Spike rolled his eyes. "You wanted to know about vampires, but you don't know what childer are?"  
  
Dawn sighed; even she knew the answer to this one. "When a vampire makes another vampire, the second one is called a childe, with an 'e.' 'Childer' is the plural of 'childe.'" She paused, suddenly realizing the implications of Doc's words and looked at Spike. "I thought Dru was your sire."  
  
"She is, Bit," Spike explained. "Angelus was her sire. And Darla was his. Right bloody bitch, she was. Be glad you never met her." He shook his head to keep himself on track. "She was the favorite childe of Aurelius, also known as the Master."  
  
"You're a vampire! But, but, t-t-they don't exist!" Abe exclaimed. Sure, it had been fun to imagine that they were looking for vampires, but he hadn't really thought they would find any!  
  
"You're a right thick one, aren't ya?" Spike smirked at the stunned man. He shifted into his game face. "You break into my crypt, steal my blood, go poking around the Slayer's asking questions about vampires, and you didn't think we were real? What the hell did you think you were doin', mate?"  
  
"Spike, stop scaring the tourists," Dawn admonished, convinced that the shaking man was about to wet himself. "Save it for someone who deserves it."  
  
"Sorry, Nibblet." Spike shook his head and his features melted back to their familiar, human guise. He rattled his chains once more, all the while knowing it was futile. "Speaking of those who deserve it, where'd the wanker I'm going to kill go?"  
  
Doc reemerged from the shadows in which he had been working. In one hand, he held the bowl and a scroll; the other contained a small glass sphere. When Spike saw it, he swallowed forcibly and swore softly.  
  
"Balls."  
  
tbc  
  
++++++++  
  
A/N: Thanks for the gracious and positive reviews. Feedback (in the form of glowing praise or constructive criticism) is always appreciated. If you notice any glaring errors, please let me know; I'm pretty picky, especially about grammar and continuity. I hope you're enjoying reading my story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. 


	13. Chapter 13

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Still stunned from the revelation that vampires existed, Abe almost missed Spike's reaction to the small glass sphere their captor held in his hand. Somehow, though, the fact that a vampire, a blood-sucking creature of the night, so visibly and negatively reacted to the sight of the crystal ball set off a warning klaxon in Abe's head. *Danger, Danger, Will Robinson! This can't be good,* he thought to himself.  
  
"What? What is it?" Abe demanded.  
  
"It's an Orb of Thesulah." The answer came in a frightened whisper from Dawn.  
  
Spike had ignored the cameraman's question, keeping his eyes glued to Doc as the demon prepared for a ritual. However, when he heard Dawn's response to Abe's question, he looked sharply at her.  
  
"How'd you know that, Bit?" He knew because Drusilla had thrown a fit when he'd brought her an Orb as a present not long after forcibly dragging her out of Sunnydale. He'd thought she would like it; maybe she would start gazing into it like a crystal ball and quit crying for the set of tarot cards he'd left behind in Angelus's mansion. Instead she had smashed it and attacked him for hurting her 'Daddy.' It was only later that he found out the Orb's significance in soul restoration.  
  
"We, we have one. At home. In the Angelus box," the teen explained, still looking at the orb.  
  
"The ~what~ box?"  
  
"We-, Mom-, after, after Angel came back, you know, from hell?" Dawn paused in her explanation, unsure of how much Spike knew about that time in her and Buffy's lives. "Buffy didn't tell anyone right away that he was back. When we found out-, this wasn't long after Mom and I found out that Buffy was the Slayer. Anyway, when we found out, Mom went to Giles and they made a box. For emergencies. It has all the stuff to do a de-invite and a copy of the spell and the ingredients to give Angel his soul back. One of those is an Orb of Thesulah. You know, in case he goes all evil again?"  
  
"Good for Joyce." Spike smirked as a thought crossed his mind. "I'll be the Slayer was good and brassed off when she found out about that."  
  
"Oh, we didn't tell Buffy," Dawn said. "Mom kept it in her room, and showed me where it was, in case…something happened. When she…I moved it into my room. I showed Willow and Tara where it was when they moved in. Turns out Willow, Xander, and Giles each have a box, too. Giles thought it was a good idea. He-, after Buffy, he suffered the most from Angelus."  
  
"Right," Spike internally winced at the memory of the torture Giles had suffered at Angelus's hand and what he'd had Dru do to get the information from the watcher. Even though he and Giles weren't close, he'd come to feel a certain kinship with the British man during a summer of slaying. His suggestion to Angelus on how to get Giles to talk might have kept the man alive, but the watcher hadn't deserved Dru's psychological games.  
  
During Spike and Dawn's exchange, Blair's hysteria had driven him to an almost catatonic state. The sight of him staring blankly unnerved Abe, but not any more than the almost reverent way in which the vampire and the girl talked about the glass ball.  
  
"Why are you afraid of it? What does it do?" he demanded.  
  
"It gives someone their soul," Dawn explained. Her eyes widened, and she turned to glare at Doc. "Hey, freaky old guy who likes to go around worshiping hellgods and cutting people, you'd better not be thinking of giving Spike his soul! I'll kick your ass!"  
  
Doc paused in his preparations, and seeing the intent look on Dawn's face, he laughed.  
  
"Poor, naïve child. Thesulan Orbs are not only for soul giving. They serve as spirit vaults for all rituals of the undead."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The demon." Spike spoke as a feeling of dread settled over him. "You're going to put the Master's demon in someone the same way the gypsies put the soul in Angel. But since souls come from the ether, and demons come from hell, you have to open the Hellmouth first."  
  
"You always were a smart one. To think, you had such potential." Doc said, shaking his head as if he was a disappointed father. He walked about the room, lighting the candles he had placed around the three sacrifices earlier. "Pity I'll have to kill you."  
  
"Who're you going to put him in?" Dawn demanded. "If we're for opening the Hellmouth, and Spike's here for the Master to kill, who're you going to put him in?"  
  
"Too bad those monks didn't give you a better education, Key." Doc clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Your addition skills are somewhat lacking."  
  
"It's you." Abe realized what the others had overlooked. "You're going to put this other guy in you."  
  
"I think we're all set here," Doc said, surveying the magick paraphernalia in the room and ignoring Abe's statement.  
  
He sprinkled some herbs into the bowl of blood and began muttering over it in a language none of the others recognized. Slowly the floor in the center of the three sacrifices began to dissolve into a swirling vortex.  
  
Doc dropped a match into the bowl and flames leapt from the bowl. The Orb, surrounded by four candles and sitting in a cushioned basket next to the bowl began to glow as it was filled with a dark, swirling light. Dawn shivered as she watched the Master's demon be drawn into the Orb.  
  
Doc's chanting grew louder, and large tendrils of a plant-like material began to creep out of the Hellmouth's opening.  
  
"Geez, Little Shop of Horrors, much?" Dawn asked, determined if she was going to die, to at least go down like a Summers: punning.  
  
"Don't worry, Dawnie." A familiar voice came from where the doors to the library had once been. "It's nothing a little weed whacking won't cure."  
  
"Buffy!" Dawn cried out in relief at the sound of her sister's voice and turned her head to see Buffy wielding a large sword. Behind her, as soldiers faithfully following a trusted commander into battle, stood the other four Scoobies. Xander and Anya stood to her left, while Willow and Tara flanked her on the right. All were armed and combat ready.  
  
"'Bout time, Slayer. Thought I might die of old age before you got here," said Spike.  
  
Willow noted the magick items throughout the room. She looked closely at Doc and her eyes widened at what sat on the ground in front of him. She recognized the Orb for what it was and knew that any spell requiring such a powerful artifact called upon dark and potent magicks.  
  
"Buffy, shut him up before he can finish the spell!" Willow commanded.  
  
Even before she spoke, Buffy had begun to move towards Doc, the candlelight glinting dangerously off her weapon. However, before she reached him, Doc stopped chanting, and the Orb radiated a brilliant, harsh light. It was nothing like the comforting glow Willow remembered from when she had given Angel his soul back. As the light faded, so did the Orb, dissolving as if it had never been.  
  
Doc's eyes blazed a feral yellow and his body began to convulse. By the time Buffy reached him, the seizure had stopped, and the demon lay on the floor unconscious. Buffy drove her sword into his chest. Then, she made a show of dusting her hands, indicating a job well done.  
  
"Uh, Buffster?" Xander asked. "That's not going to do it. Fangless and I already tried that once and it didn't kill him."  
  
Buffy shrugged, pulled her sword out, and used it to cleanly detach Doc's head from his body. She knew that decapitation worked on most demons. Just to be safe, she decided to chop the rest of his body into smaller pieces, and burn them separately. Before she could begin, though, the deadly vines rapidly retracted into the Hellmouth, and the vortex swirled closed.  
  
"Hmmph. I guess he's really dead," Buffy said.  
  
"Spike!" Dawn's worried voice drew her attention to the chained vampire on the ground.  
  
What Buffy saw scared her. Spike was convulsing, like Doc had a moment before. His eyes, too, flashed yellow and the shaking stopped. He opened his eyes and when his gaze fell on Buffy, his face hardened.  
  
"You! I killed you!" He began to struggle against his chains. He paused, considering. "Then you killed me."  
  
The others stared at him, confused not only by his words, but by the changes in his speech. His accent was gone, and his normal speech rhythms had changed perceptibly. No longer were his words clipped and quickly delivered. On the contrary, he seemed to drag the syllables out, sometimes almost hissing.  
  
His game face emerged and his lips twisted into a chilling smile. "I guess it's my turn again, Slayer."  
  
tbc 


	14. Chapter 14

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Buffy and the others quickly realized that the vampire lying on the floor was not the annoying, chipped Spike they were used to.  
  
"What is going on?" Buffy demanded.  
  
"The Master." Dawn's response was whispered as realization settled over her. "He-, Doc was trying to raise the Master's demon and combine it with himself. Like a soul."  
  
"But it went into Spike's body instead," Tara said, understanding the situation.  
  
"Can he get out of those chains?" Buffy asked, deciding to deal with immediate concerns before confronting all the questions inherent in the situation.  
  
"I don't think so," Dawn replied. "If he could have, he wouldn't have been lying around, waiting for the cavalry."  
  
"Okay, so he's restrained. Let's get him back to the Magic Box and work it out from there." She moved to check the shackles herself. The creature bared his fangs and licked his lips in anticipation. As she leaned down, his head shot up and he tried to bite her. Just in time, Buffy's slayer reflexes came to the rescue, and she pulled back.  
  
"I see we're back to being an overgrown bat." Buffy moved away from him and considered the situation.  
  
"Buffy, don't we have some tranquilizers at the shop?" Willow asked.  
  
"Good thinking, Wills." The slayer turned and, realizing that Dawn, Blair, and Abe were still tied up, addressed the Scoobies. "Willow and Tara, go and get the tranquilizer gun. Xander and Anya, help me untie those two." She gestured to Blair and Abe as she moved behind Dawn and began to work on the knots binding her sister.  
  
Willow and Tara left. As soon as Dawn was free, Buffy pulled her into a crushing hug.  
  
"Need air," was all Dawn could get out through her sister's powerful grip. Buffy released her and quickly pulled up the front edge of Dawn's shirt, examining the cuts.  
  
"Oh, Dawnie, how are you?"  
  
"It's okay, really," the younger Summers responded. "I mean, it hurts, but it's not like I haven't been down this road before. And they're not deep."  
  
Buffy turned around and addressed Xander and Anya. "I need you guys to take Dawn to the hospital." She waved her hand in the direction of the television reporter and his cameraman. "Take those two, too. To the hospital or their hotel or something. After Will and Tara get back with the drugs, we'll take Spike-, or whoever he is, and meet you at the Magic Box."  
  
"I'm not going to the hospital, Buffy," Dawn protested.  
  
The blonde turned to look at her sister sharply. "Yes, you are. Dawnie, you're hurt!"  
  
"It's not bad. And, and they'll tell Social Services. And they'll take me away."  
  
"No, they won't. Dawn, we'll get in more trouble for not getting you proper medical treatment."  
  
"Right. Cuz there's nothing suspicious about me coming to the emergency room with injuries almost exactly like the ones I had last spring," Dawn scoffed.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked.  
  
"That guy," Dawn pointed at Doc. "He's the one who cut me on top of Glory's tower last year. The same way he cut me today."  
  
"WHAT?" Buffy hadn't recognized Doc. "I really am going to cut him up into little pieces!"  
  
"And see? Not even bleeding anymore." Dawn continued to press her case. Demons and other oogly-booglies were scary, but they were nothing compared to the prospect of being taken away from Buffy. "A little Bactine and a couple of band-aids and I'll be good as new!"  
  
Buffy looked at Dawn's cuts again. The bleeding had stopped, and they had been working awfully hard to stay below Social Services' radar…  
  
"Okay," she said, giving in. "Drop those guys off wherever and take Dawn home and patch her up. Then, meet us at the Magic Box."  
  
"Aye, aye, Captain," Xander said, as he took Abe's arm to help the man out to the car. Anya and Dawn flanked Blair, supporting most of his weight and the trio followed Xander.  
  
Buffy looked once at the chained vampire, allowing her face to soften and reveal worry. When the demon felt her gaze upon him, he raised his head. As soon as he moved, Buffy's face hardened again and she sat down across the room to wait for Willow and Tara.  
  
***  
  
"Ironic, isn't it?" the Master's voice broke through her thoughts, reminding her that no matter how much he looked like her lover, he was not.  
  
She ignored him, contemplating whether she should chop Doc's body into smaller pieces. *Better safe than sorry,* she decided, standing up.  
  
"It's always your blood," the demon continued.  
  
"Don't I know it," Buffy sighed. Then, she continued in a poor imitation of Spike's British accent. "It's always got to be blood."  
  
She paused, considering. "But it wasn't my blood this time. Hell must have done a number on your mind. Guess I'll just have to send you back so they can finish the job."  
  
"Her blood is your blood. I can tell."  
  
"What, you go in for the, what did you call it, feeble banter, now?"  
  
Buffy finally made eye contact with the vampire, and the Master's voice became smooth and mesmerizing. "Release me, child."  
  
Buffy changed her course and slowly crossed the room, away from Doc. When she reached the Master, she paused.  
  
"Release me," he repeated.  
  
She walked around to his back. Suddenly the Master felt a sharp pain as Buffy clubbed him on the head with the handle end of her sword. She looked down at the unconscious vampire at her feet disdainfully.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to save that crap for the tourists?"  
  
***  
  
"So, let me get this straight," Xander said. He and the female Scoobies were gathered around the table at the Magic Box. Dawn had just finished explaining what had happened before their arrival. Their vampire prisoner was still chained and sedated. He lay in the corner of the shop, where Buffy could keep an eye on him. The amount of tranquilizer she had given him would have lasted Oz all night. However, with his vampire recuperative powers, she wasn't sure how soon it would wear off. She also knew that the Master had been much older and more powerful than Spike. She didn't know how much of that power had transferred with the Master's demon.  
  
"Doc was trying to raise the Master's creamy demon center and take it into himself. Something went wrong, and we think it ended up in Spike? And are we sure that Doc is dead dead this time? Cuz I could have sworn I killed him the first time, but then he turned up on Glory's tower, and…" Xander continued.  
  
"We're sure," Willow said. When she and Tara had returned with the tranquilizers they had found Buffy warming her hands over a bonfire, with Doc's body nowhere in sight. Neither had commented on the fire or the horrible stench of burned demon in the room.  
  
"Well, we know that two demons can't exist in the same body at the same time. They'll fight, and one will…" the redhead paused, realizing what she was saying, "kill the other."  
  
"So Deadboy, Jr. is gone?" Xander asked. "Aw, that's a shame. Let me get a stake and we'll just wrap this up."  
  
"How do we know that two can't exist?" Tara asked, placed her hand on Xander's arm to stop his not-so-mock search of his pockets for a stake. "Are we sure?"  
  
"There was this demon once, when we were in high school," Willow gestured between herself, Buffy and Xander.  
  
"Oh!" Xander said, following Willow's train of thought. "The tattoo guy! Um, I-go? Iago? Ingo Montoya?" He smiled, amused by his own joke, and continued with a thick Spanish accent. "You killed my father. Prepare to die!"  
  
"Eyghon," Willow corrected, nodding before she continued her explanation. "It was a demon that Giles summoned. Anyway, when it was evicted from a host, it would go into the next closest dead or unconscious body. We got it to go into Angel and since he already had a demon, the two fought and Angel's demon won, killing Eyghon. That would explain why it didn't take with Doc. Since he was already a demon, the two couldn't co- exist. So, the Master gave up and went looking for another host."  
  
"So, Spike's dead?" Dawn asked in a small voice.  
  
"No." Buffy said with certainty. "He can't be."  
  
"Bu-but, Buffy-" Willow started, but the slayer cut her off.  
  
"No! We saw Eyghon go," Buffy protested, shaking her head in denial. "There was big struggle and, and, and poof, and there wasn't anything like that with Spike. Plus it was faster than with Angel. Sure, the Master's strong, but so is Spike. And he doesn't give up. Not like that."  
  
"She's right," Anya spoke up. "There's usually some kind of sign when two demons fight for control over a host and one evicts the other."  
  
"So, he's still in there?" Dawn asked hopefully.  
  
"But I thought two demons couldn't exist in the same host," Xander said.  
  
"Hello? We are talking about Spike here. When's the last time he just gave up? On anything?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Don't vampires have rules about, um, d-d-dominance and stuff? Could there be something like that happening?" Tara asked, trying to remember what she had read about vampire interaction.  
  
"Older vampires are more generally respected in Vampire culture," Anya spoke matter-of-factly. "But dominant/submissive relationships between Master Vampires usually only occur within family bloodlines."  
  
"That's it!" Dawn nearly shouted.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The Master is like Spike's great, great, something grandsire," she explained.  
  
"What?" Xander asked. "Spike is related to the Master?"  
  
"Of course," Willow said. "Darla was a favorite childe of the Master."  
  
"And?" Xander asked, not making the connection but growing more upset by the second.  
  
"Darla sired Angel," Willow explained. "Who sired Drusilla, who sired Spike."  
  
"And no one is worried that we keep making with the friendly with the Master's kiddies?" Xander demanded.  
  
"So, the Master might not have had to evict Spike, just force him into submission?" Anya asked, ignoring Xander's question.  
  
"No," Buffy said. "Spike doesn't give up that easily."  
  
"That's right!" Dawn said. "I mean when you dropped that organ on him, he was in a wheelchair for, like, months! And he had to live with Angel, evil Angel, moving in on Dru. But, he got his strength back, and helped you beat up on Angel and save the world!"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "He only helped because he wanted Dru back."  
  
"Huh? When was this?" Xander asked.  
  
"Acathla." Buffy answered quietly. "I guess I never told you guys that Spike helped me." She turned to Dawn. "How did you know?"  
  
"Well, I was there when you made the deal with him." Dawn rolled her eyes. "Plus, Spike told me. He likes stories where he beats Angel."  
  
"Humph. I'll bet," Buffy responded dryly.  
  
"That's not the point though," Dawn said. "The point is, he doesn't give up. He's probably in there, saving his strength, waiting for us to do something."  
  
Buffy tossed her pen at the chained vampire, making sure he was still unconscious. If what Dawn said was true, it wouldn't do any good to give away their advantage. It bounced off his forehead, but he didn't stir.  
  
"So," Buffy said, "I guess the question is, how do we get the Master out of Spike's body?"  
  
"Oh that's easy," Anya said, as if the others had to be extremely stupid to not know the answer. "Do an exorcism."  
  
Everyone else turned and stared at the ex-demon and silence descended on the shop. It was Buffy who finally spoke.  
  
"You want us to perform an exorcism on a vampire?"  
  
tbc 


	15. Chapter 15

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Anya didn't understand why everyone else was so confused by her suggestion. To her the situation was simple: to expel a demon from its host, exorcise it.  
  
"An, honey," Xander started. "As much fun as I think performing an exorcism on Captain Peroxide would be, what with the holy water and stuff, wouldn't it hurt him?" Realizing he was defending the vampire, Xander shook his head. "Wait, I'm on board with the Spike hurting! Do you think we can make his head spin around?"  
  
"Xander!" Dawn's hurt voice was enough to make the man duck his head.  
  
"Well, you wouldn't use actual holy water, silly," Anya said. "Of course it would be different from a regular exorcism because you only want to exorcise one demon, not both. But the principle's the same."  
  
"Um, okay, that's a good suggestion. Thank you, Anya," Buffy said, hoping to placate the ex-vengeance demon. "Why don't you guys start looking for other options – just so we've looked at all the possibilities – and I'll call Giles and see what he thinks. I need to let him know that we're all still alive." She glanced at Spike's body. "Sort of."  
  
***  
  
"Okay, thanks, Giles. Bye." Buffy hung up the phone, deep in thought. She turned to the research table and when she finally focused on her friends, found them waiting for her to speak.  
  
"Well, Giles thinks an exorcism is probably our best bet, although still not a really good bet. I think." The blonde shook her head and waved her hand vaguely. "He had some kind of gambling metaphor."  
  
"See?" Anya asked, laying down the book she was looking through, unabashedly revealing the bridal magazine she had hidden inside it. "You should listen to me more."  
  
"Okay, exorcism time," Willow said, nodding her head decisively. "Um, do we know anyone who can do an exorcism?"  
  
"Giles said one of us could probably do it, preferably you or me," she nodded at Willow. "It just has to be a strong person. Mentally. Not that the rest of you aren't strong, but we've both had lots of practice. Course that's sort of like magic, for you, Wills, so… But since this isn't your normal exorcism, he said it would be better to try and find a priest or something rather than going the 'Exorcism for Dummies' route."  
  
"He actually said 'Exorcism for Dummies?'" Tara asked, raising her eyebrow in amusement.  
  
"Well, he used bigger words and a lot more of them, but, basically, yeah."  
  
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed and started snapping her fingers, trying to remember the idea that was tickling at the edge of her mind. "Wasn't there a priest that helped us once? That Thanksgiving with the bear and Xander's . . ." She trailed off sheepishly, glancing at her best friend.  
  
"Xander's funny syphilis?" the man in question asked, sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe he can-" Willow cut herself off abruptly, remembering that Buffy had found the holy man murdered. "…be dead and not really of any use to us."  
  
"Anybody know any other priestly types?" Buffy asked. When she was met with a round of shrugged shoulders and negative head shaking, she sighed. "Yeah, none of us are exactly poster children for conventional religion."  
  
"Couldn't we just go to churches and ask?" Anya questioned, always in favor of the direct approach.  
  
"I can hear it now." Willow rolled her eyes at Anya's suggestion. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned. Oh, and by the way, I need you to do an exorcism on a vampire. Yeah, they're real. And see, here's the thing. We've got two vampires in one body, and we want to you to evict one, but leave the other alone. Right."  
  
"And what do you propose, Willow?" Anya demanded, tired of having her perfectly reasonable ideas mocked. "Kidnapping a priest and forcing him to do it at stake-point? Or maybe, there's a spell and you could do it."  
  
"Okay!" Buffy cut in cheerfully, trying to break up the rapidly escalating argument. "Why don't Xander and Anya go visit some churches and see what they can find out? You guys might want to try Willy's too. Wills, get on the net and see what you can find in the 'do-it-yourself exorcism' category, just in case. Tara and Dawn, keep researching other options."  
  
Buffy picked up the tranquilizer gun and handed it to Tara. "Keep an eye on him," she instructed, nodding at the chained vampire on the floor." Knock him out if he wakes up. He tried to put me in thrall earlier. But use a low dose. We'll need him-, them conscious when we do it, so Spike can help us fight from the inside."  
  
The slayer picked up her coat from the chair. As she put it on, Dawn asked, "Where are you going, Buffy?"  
  
I'm going to go check on something. I may know someone who can help us."  
  
***  
  
"Father?" Buffy asked, as she poked her head through the partially open office door. A middle-aged man, wearing black and priest's collar, looked up from his desk.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Father Michael?" she asked, to make sure she had the right father. When he nodded, she moved farther into the room. "Sister, um, Mary Josephine said you might be able to help me. I need an exorcism."  
  
The man raised his eyebrows and looked at the young woman in front of him. While he did not doubt the possibility of demon possession, especially in Sunnydale, most who were possessed did not realize it themselves.  
  
"Please, call me Father Mike." He gestured to the chain in front of Buffy. "Sit down. Tell me what the problem is. Perhaps you do not need such an extreme measure."  
  
"Oh, it's not for me," Buffy hurried to explain. "It's for . . ." she paused slightly debating what to say. "a friend of mine. He's. . ."  
  
"If your friend is truly possessed, I'd be happy to try and help." The pause had not gone unnoticed by Father Michael, and he wondered at its significance. "However, there are many mental illnesses that look like possession. Schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, even severe depression. Have you consulted a physician? We should rule those out before we decide that your friend has a demon in him."  
  
Buffy smiled slightly. "Oh, he's got a demon in him alright."  
  
She wanted to get as much information as she could out of the priest before she told him that what she really wanted was to exorcise one demon from another. That way, if he backed out and she had to perform the exorcism, at least she'd know more than she did now.  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
Buffy unflinchingly met his questioning gaze. "How long have you been in Sunnydale, Father?"  
  
"Over twenty years."  
  
"Then you know."  
  
"Know what?" Father Michael knew the town was located on the Hellmouth. He knew about the countless demons and monsters that roamed the town's quiet streets when the sun set.  
  
"There are things that go bump in the night. They're dangerous. One of them has taken control of my friend. I need your help to get it out. Can you help me?"  
  
He realized as he looked at Buffy that her eyes spoke of witnessing too much evil in her short life. But they also shone with a determination to not allow evil to triumph, regardless of the price. He realized that if he refused to help, she would take action anyway.  
  
"I can try."  
  
He only hoped he could help with whatever had taken control of her friend.  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Some fun and interesting ideas you all have. And don't worry; I haven't forgotten about anyone, especially stupid tabloid types who go poking around in vampires' crypts in the middle of the night… If you have anything you'd really like to see, let me know. I'm not making any promises, b/c I do have the story pretty much planned out, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to suggestions or gratuitous bribes. 


	16. Chapter 16

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 16  
  
"…Xander tried to explain, but once I told him about my years in vengeance, he assumed I was the one needing to be exorcised. Can you imagine? He started waving a cross in my face and shouting, 'Out, evil fiend! Out!'"  
  
Father Mike followed the small blonde woman into the Magic Box. Although he knew of the store, he had never been in it. Since it specialized in occult needs, he suspected there was very little he would find of use. He mentally cocked his eyebrow at the very blonde woman behind the counter who was speaking and waving a wooden cross around in explanation as he entered.  
  
"So, what happened?" asked a dark haired girl, who was obviously a few years younger than the others.  
  
The woman who had been telling the story giggled and the dark hair man next to her spoke.  
  
"Anya grabbed the cross, and when nothing happened, he, uh, fainted," he explained.  
  
Laughter followed the end of the tale, but died out when the group noticed Buffy and the strange man behind her wearing a priest's collar.  
  
"I'm guessing a big 'NO' in the luck department for you guys?" she asked.  
  
Xander nodded his head, while the redhead girl sitting behind a laptop computer looked up from her work.  
  
"I've found some stuff, but I think we're better off with a professional," she said. Nodding at the priest behind Buffy, she added, "Which you seem to have found."  
  
"Guys, this is Father Michael, er, Mike. He's going to try and help us." Buffy pointed at the others and introduced them individually. When she finished, she turned to Tara and looked between the blonde witch and the tranquilizer gun that lay on the table in front of her, a question in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, he, um, woke up," she said. "He really wasn't being very nice and he was trying to break the chains, so I thought, um, better safe than sorry."  
  
Buffy nodded at the girl and smiled, slightly. "How much?"  
  
"A half dose. Should last at least an hour, hour and a half."  
  
Father Mike cleared his throat and said, "Are you, um, speaking of the victim?"  
  
The man, Xander, snorted at the priest's choice of words. "Yeah, he's a real victim."  
  
"Xander." Buffy admonished him. She turned to the priest. "We were afraid he would, um, get violent, so we sedated him. It'd probably be best if you examined him before he woke up."  
  
She led the holy man around a book case and gestured to a figured lying on the floor in chains. Father Gabriel was stunned that this group had chained their friend up and sedated him. Either they were seriously frightened or mentally disturbed. Or both. Certainly demons gave strength to those they possessed, but the chains looked more than adequate to hold the average human being, regardless of how much strength the demon lent him.  
  
He knelt beside the man on the floor. Sorrow filled him as he recognized the creature for what it was. Suddenly the chains didn't seem like such an unnecessary precaution. However, he did grieve for these young people who had lost a friend and thought an exorcism could bring him back. He hated to destroy their hope, but knew they must recognize that their friend was gone if they were to move on.  
  
He stood and took Buffy's elbow. Gently he guided her to the table and motioned for her to sit. She ignored the gesture and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"You're not going to help us?" she guessed.  
  
Father Mike took a deep breath before meeting her gaze. "You were right. There are things that go bump in the night. One of those things killed your friend. I know it may be hard to believe, but your friend is gone. He's a vampire now."  
  
Buffy had grown more concerned as the priest spoke. When he finished, she didn't respond immediately, trying to decide how to explain what she had so far avoided.  
  
He assumed her silence was due to shock and continued to explain. "When someone is killed by a vampire, their soul leaves the body and a demon comes to inhabit it. In normal demon possession, the soul is simply overpowered by the demon and once the demon is cast out, the soul regains control of the body. But with vampires, there's no way to separate the demon from the body once it takes hold. And even if you could, the soul is gone. Your friend is gone."  
  
Dawn's laughter broke the silence that followed the priest's grave announcement.  
  
He mistook her mirth for denial, even hysteria, and moved to comfort her. He stopped however, when she composed herself enough to ask her older sister. "You didn't tell him, did you?"  
  
Dawn now turned her attention to the priest. "We know Spike's a vampire. He has been for years."  
  
"Then why did you come to me?" the confused man asked.  
  
"Long story short," Buffy said, "Spike's not the only demon in there anymore. We want to exorcise the second one."  
  
***  
  
Later, Father Mike munched on a jelly donut and sipped at his coffee as he listened to the various members of the group explain their perspectives on the situation. He was astounded by their reasoning and a little scared because it showed an extensive knowledge of demonology and vampires in particular. He was also a touch unnerved by the nonplussed manner in which they went about the discussion, as if it were an everyday occurrence.  
  
He had wanted to correct the redhead when she had analogized a vampire demon to a soul. While the analogy was sufficient for their purposes, wishful thinking about such impossibilities as vampires with souls could and would get this group into trouble someday. The priest decided, however, that there would be plenty of time to discuss the finer points of the vampire mythos after they had dealt with the problem at hand.  
  
"The only thing I'm unclear on is why you think I would help you save this, er, Spike," he finally said, stumbling on the vampire's name. "I understand that he's your friend, but vampires are inherently evil. He may be nice to you now, but he will turn on you. Once a demon, always a demon."  
  
"See!" exclaimed Xander, happy that his opinion of Spike had been validated by the priest. "The man's right. Once a demon, always a demon."  
  
"Is that what you really think, Xander?" Anya asked in a deceptively calm voice.  
  
Father Mike noticed that the other women in the room suddenly became unusually interested in anything that was not the dark haired man or the woman who had questioned him.  
  
Xander, unfortunately, did not realize just how thin the ice he was on had become. "Of course, honey. I've been saying it for years. I mean, look at Angel. He had a soul, but he gets a happy and poof! One psycho, homicidal Buffy-stalker, made to order!"  
  
"You can't blame Spike for Angelus, Xander." When Buffy spoke, her voice was low and dangerous. "You want someone to blame for that, you blame me."  
  
"Oh, come on, Buff," Xander replied. "Like sire, like childe, right? Spike didn't even need a happy to turn into creepy stalking guy. Besides, did you conveniently forget that he's tried to kill us on more than one occasion?"  
  
"Did you conveniently forget that he's done a lot to help us since then, not to mention save your life on more than one occasion, Alexander LaVelle Harris?" Anya asked.  
  
The use of his full name stopped Xander cold. When he looked at his fiancé, tears were streaming down her face.  
  
He frowned in confusion and moved to comfort the woman. "An, honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Don't you dare!" She held up her hand to stop him and then angrily wiped the moisture from her cheeks. She stormed into the training room, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Xander looked at the closed door, confusion evident on his face.  
  
"What did I do?" he asked.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Dawn asked, unable to believe he was that dense.  
  
Xander continued to stare dumbly, until Willow spoke.  
  
"Once a demon, always a demon?" she prompted.  
  
"Oh." Xander sat in stunned silence, the realization of what he had said slowly sinking in. "I am such an idiot."  
  
Tara stood, and slid the tranquilizer gun in Buffy's direction. "I'll go check on her. Make sure she's okay. Not, um, contacting old friends or anything."  
  
The others nodded.  
  
Father Mike had quietly watched the argument, but now he had to speak since the fight had been started by his words.  
  
"If I may ask, why is this such a sore point? It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. Demons do not change."  
  
"Do you really believe that?" Dawn looked at him, and he felt as if he was being questioned by someone many years his elder in both age and wisdom.  
  
"I thought you believed in free will, the ability to choose one's path," Willow said. "Are you saying that's impossible?"  
  
"It is possible, for man. Every human has the ability to choose his or her path, his or her destiny," he said. "But demons aren't human, they are inherently evil."  
  
"Where was I the day they were handing out destiny free lives?" Buffy muttered.  
  
"Buffy, I'm sorry." Xander spoke up. "About the crack about Angel. I know it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you."  
  
"Thanks, Xan," she replied. "But this isn't really about me. Don't you think maybe you should be apologizing to Anya?"  
  
Xander nodded and moved toward the training room door. Buffy turned to Father Mike before he could question the reasons behind Anya's reaction. "Father, I understand what you're saying about demons. I used to think that, too. But I've known some that weren't all that bad. And I've met the worst of the worst."  
  
The priest nodded.  
  
"Spike can be a real pain in the-" she cut herself off, remembering with whom she was speaking. "He can be a real pain. But he does help us. And, it's not like we're turning a killer lose. He can't even hurt people."  
  
Seeing the question forming on Father Mike's lips, Buffy explained. "A couple years back, this military group put a computer chip in his head that gives him migraines if he tries to hurt a human."  
  
She paused, and when she continued, all traces of the flip young lady he had first thought her to be were gone. "I can't just abandon him. If you won't help us, I'll do the exorcism myself. I-, we owe him that much."  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Sorry for the action challenged portion of the story if you're an actionaholic. However, it's important and necessary. My muse said so.  
  
Finn: I'm not big on Monopoly money (or snack-sized kittens for that matter), but chocolate coins or reviews are acceptable forms of currency. ;) 


	17. Chapter 17

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Xander grunted as he tripped over a low headstone. The stumble caused him to lose his grip and the dusty, black boot-covered heels in his hands slipped lose. Spike's feet hit the ground and Buffy looked up from where she had a grip on his shoulders.  
  
"I'm starting to think you keep dropping him on purpose, Xander. I could just carry him myself," she said.  
  
"No, I got it." The construction-worker-by-day, sometimes demon- hunter-by-night had insisted on helping to carry the unconscious vampire when Buffy had first picked him up in a fireman's hold and started to carry him over her shoulder. While the slayer was undoubtedly strong enough to support his weight alone, a nearly endless string of scenarios had flashed through Xander's mind. All of them ended in the vampire waking up and sinking his teeth into Buffy. Xander wasn't sure that the chip would still work since the Master was in charge of Spike's body, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. When Xander explained his sudden urge to help, Buffy had neglected to mention how justified his concern was since the chip no longer worked on her.  
  
"You guys okay?" Willow paused and called out from a few feet behind them. She and the others were following the trio through the graveyard to Spike's crypt. Willow lifted the tranquilizer gun in case it was needed.  
  
"Yeah, just taking a break, Will," Xander said, reaching down to pick up his end of the vampire again. Adjusting his grip, he mumbled under his breath, "Although I don't know why we had to cart him all the way here."  
  
Buffy threw him an irritated glance. After Father Mike had briefly described the process, they had agreed that Spike's crypt would be the best place to try the exorcism for a number of reasons. First, they didn't know how long it would take. Father Mike said sometimes exorcisms took five minutes, sometimes hours. Knowing how strong and stubborn both Spike and the Master were, Buffy suspected the latter was more likely to occur. They could have used the training room at the shop, but its nice, big windows would have caused the process to be interrupted when day came. Dawn had suggested the Summer's basement, but Buffy quickly vetoed it, loath to cause more costly damage to the house.  
  
Willow had motioned for Xander to distract Father Mike and had then quietly pointed out to Buffy that they knew for a fact Spike had chains strong enough to hold a slayer at his crypt. Only Tara had noticed Buffy's startled glance before Dawn added, "Oh yeah, from when he chained you and Drusilla up."  
  
Also, Father Mike had said it was best if they could perform the ritual somewhere that had a connection to the victim. His home seemed the best bet, even if it was a crypt. The sarcastic voice in the back of Buffy's mind had suggested a certain abandoned house that was now condemned after mysteriously collapsing in upon itself one night, but she studiously ignored it.  
  
When they arrived at the crypt, Tara hurried ahead to hold the door open for Buffy and Xander. She noticed Father Mike take a deep breath and cross himself before he entered.  
  
"Don't worry," the witch said softly, "you're safer with this group in a vampire's crypt in the middle of the night than alone in town at high noon."  
  
The priest favored her with a small smile, but he still jumped slightly when the door shut behind them with a resounding thud and almost all of the light left the room.  
  
"Hmm. Guess we didn't think this through very well," Buffy remarked dryly. "Tara?"  
  
Father Mike heard Tara whisper a few words in a language that sounded similar to Latin, and suddenly a glowing sphere of light about the size of a softball appeared, hovering over her cupped hands, softly illuminating the crypt.  
  
The priest stared in amazement, partly at the magick he had just witnessed, but mostly at the fact that the others reacted as if someone had simply flipped a light switch. Buffy and Xander had slung Spike's body crossways over a stone sarcophagus in the middle of the room. The blonde slayer was in the process of searching his jeans pockets.  
  
"Uh, Buff?" Xander asked cautiously. "Whatcha doing?  
  
"Looking for his lighter."  
  
Dawn, who had taken a seat in the easy chair in front of the TV, pulled at the long leather coat lying over the chair's back and began riffling through its pockets. *Easy chair? TV?* Father Mike wondered.  
  
"Found it!" The young girl held the silver Zippo up triumphantly. Willow took it from her and began walking around, lighting the many candles.  
  
"Um, shouldn't we put him in the, um, coffin?" the priest asked, gesturing to the stone bier.  
  
"Huh?" Buffy looked truly confused by the question.  
  
"Well, usually a victim's bed is a good place. It provides a sense of, of comfort and familiarity," he explained. "For a vampire, I assume his coffin would provide the same."  
  
Dawn began to laugh, but quickly recovered. "Sorry, Father," she said, sheepishly.  
  
"Let me guess," he answered. "That's another one of those stereotypes that's not true?"  
  
The younger Summers nodded, still smiling at his expense.  
  
"Take it from me," Buffy said. "Waking up in a coffin's not all it's cracked up to be."  
  
Willow, Xander, Anya, and Tara immediately looked guilty. Seeing their reactions, Buffy quickly said, "Joking! Joking! I'm not allowed to joke about it?"  
  
The others didn't respond, although the tension in the air dissipated slightly.  
  
"Actually," Xander said, desperate to change the subject, "unbelievable as it seems, Evil Undead has a bed. Hey! I'm a poet and don't know it!"  
  
"Yeah," a slight smile crossed Buffy's face. She knew that Xander's lame quip was designed to divert the remaining tension. She turned to Father Mike, "We're going to take him downstairs."  
  
She crossed the room and pulled open a trapdoor. Willow tossed her the lighter and she began to climb down the ladder. Just before disappearing, she said, "I'll light some candles, and then Xander, you can, um, lower him down to me, and we'll get all set up, okay?"  
  
The others nodded in agreement as her head moved out of sight.  
  
***  
  
A short while later, Buffy's voice floated up through the opening. "Okay guys, come on down."  
  
Dawn, Tara, Willow, and Anya climbed down the ladder. Xander gestured for Father Mike to go on ahead, but the priest came over and helped him lift the vampire.  
  
"Why are you helping?" he asked. "It doesn't sound like there's any love lost between you and him."  
  
Xander nodded. "I don't like him. I really don't. He's tried to kill us more than once. He's rude and arrogant and I don't trust him. The only reason he helps is because he thinks he's in love with Buffy. Last time we had a vampire hanging around, it ended badly. Very badly." The young man paused, and brushed a hand through his hair.  
  
"But at the end of the day, they're my friends. I would follow Buffy to the ends of the Earth and into Hell itself. She was chosen to fight the good fight. The rest of us just come along for the ride. But I . . . we . . . you can't take it out of any of us. We lost her once. It, it didn't even occur to us to stop fighting. That would have been beyond unthinkable. We may not have superpowers, but it's just as much our calling now as it is hers. We're family, and family sticks together."  
  
"I see."  
  
"No, I don't think you do," Buffy said as she joined them. Neither had heard her return to the upper level and approach. "He's my heart. Noble, brave, and true."  
  
She favored Xander with one of her truly brilliant smiles when she spoke. It nearly broke Xander's heart that he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her smile like that.  
  
"I know you don't like him, Xan," she continued. "And you're justified in that. But you're here anyway. And I . . . Thank you. Now, let's get the Bleached Wonder downstairs before sleepy time's over."  
  
She helped Xander and Father Mike carry Spike to the trapdoor. Buffy climbed down and the two men slowly lowered the vampire into the Slayer's waiting arms. Just before descending the ladder, Xander spoke again.  
  
"I am here because we are family. But I've also got to prove to my fiancé that I'm not totally anti-demon." With that, he climbed down to the floor below.  
  
***  
  
When Father Mike reached the bottom of the ladder and looked around, he was surprised. He'd had no idea what he expected, but it certainly hadn't been this. The lower chamber contained more furniture than the upper area. The floors were covered by fancy rugs and a large, very non- coffin like bed stood off to one side, neatly made up. There were bookshelves and trunks along the walls. And a couple of wooden coffins acting as coffee tables. In fact, if it hadn't been for the cave-like atmosphere and slightly macabre decor, he would never have known he was underneath a crypt in one of Sunnydale's larger cemeteries.  
  
Ironically, the largest incongruity in the scene was the vampire hanging limply in chains on one wall. Buffy had unchained him and secured him into the wrist shackles that hung from the stone. She left his feet fettered together and had run a chain from each ankle back up to the hand manacles. This meant that the vampire would be able to stand on his own once he regained consciousness, but he would have trouble moving his legs far enough to kick or even trip anyone in front of him.  
  
"Hey, Buff," Xander said, gesturing at the restraints, "smart thinking."  
  
"Yeah, well, I thought 'What if I was chained there and being attacked by someone's insane, jealous, ho of an ex-girlfriend? How would I have defended myself and how can I keep him from doing the same?'" she responded dryly.  
  
"I'm liking the irony," Willow commented.  
  
"So, what-" Dawn paused, yawning, "happens next?"  
  
"You, missy, are going to bed," her older sister replied.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No, buts!" Buffy responded adamantly. Then her voice softened. "This could take hours, Dawnie. We'll wake you up when something important happens. I promise."  
  
"Fine!" Dawn crossed her arms over her chest. "But I'm not leaving!" She walked over to Spike's bed and sat down on it. "I'm staying right here!"  
  
"Ah, it would probably be best if only the exorcism team were down here while we perform the ritual," the priest said, both because it was the truth and because he didn't believe that an exorcism, especially an unorthodox one, was any place for a young girl to be.  
  
"Team?" Buffy asked, as all the Scoobies turned and looked at Father Mike.  
  
"Yes," he said. "I will lead the exorcism, but it usually works best to have a back-up team lending both me and the victim strength and support. Normally, I would have another member of the clergy, as well as one of the victim's family and his physician. In this case, however . . ."  
  
"I'll do it!" Dawn immediately said.  
  
"No, you won't," her sister countered.  
  
"I'm as close as he has to family these days!" the indignant teen cried. "You all put up with him, but none of you really like him. So unless you're going to call Angel and ask him to be the family member, I'm doing it."  
  
"A world of no, Dawn. We'll just have to substitute family member for mortal enemy."  
  
"I'm afraid I must agree with your sister on this," Father Mike said firmly to Dawn. "About your participation, not the, er, mortal enemy part."  
  
Seeing that everyone was against her, Dawn glared and flopped back on the bed.  
  
"I'll do it." Willow volunteered.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Tara said softly. "It's too much like magick, Will."  
  
"I'm going to have to agree with Tara on this," Buffy said. "Plus, you may inadvertently help the Master. You were one of the ones close to him when he died. And they did kidnap you when they tried to raise him. We can't risk it. And we won't risk you."  
  
The red head nodded assent, swallowing her protests. She went over to the bed and laid her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Come on, Dawnie. Let's go see if Spike has anything upstairs to eat besides blood and beer."  
  
Dawn pulled sharply away from the ex-witch's touch, but went to the ladder and ascended nonetheless.  
  
Tara spoke up as Willow climbed out of view. "I'll do it. I'm not nearly as strong as Willow, but it is like magick."  
  
"Okay, that's two," Buffy said, nodding. She looked between Xander and Anya questioningly.  
  
"Alright," Xander began, sighing dramatically.  
  
"I want to help," Anya said before he could finish. "I'm old and I'm strong. I've caused an exorcism or two in my day." Turning to her fiancé, she continued, "You don't even like him. Besides, those of us who were once evil demons must to stick together. There's not many of us, and our needs go unrepresented. It's un-American!"  
  
She nodded decisively and moved to stand beside Buffy and Tara.  
  
The blonde witch's mouth pulled up at the corners and a giggle escaped. When the others looked at her, she quickly explained. "I can see it now. The 'Ex-Big Bads' Union.'"  
  
Xander sighed, knowing that he was not going to win this argument. "Good luck. We'll take Dawn home. I'll come by in the morning with food."  
  
"Let her stay," Buffy said. "I know you guys want to and she does too. She can sleep on the couch. There's blankets in the trunk next to the fridge. We can't keep her out of everything."  
  
Xander nodded and climbed the ladder. Buffy turned to Father Mike.  
  
"Where do we start?"  
  
tbc 


	18. Chapter 18

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 18  
  
"First, I will try and engage the demon in conversation and learn his name," Father Mike explained. "That's imperative to exorcising him."  
  
"We already know his name," Buffy said. "It's the Master."  
  
"Yes, but I suspect that's more a ceremonial title, and not his actual name."  
  
"It's not. His name is Heinrich Nest," Anya said.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked. "I thought it was Aurelius."  
  
"It's not. Aurelius is the name of his clan, his bloodline. But it's not his name," the other woman insisted. Seeing the slayer open her mouth to question the information, Anya continued. "He and D'Hoffryn didn't get along too well."  
  
"Okay. Heinrich Nest. We can skip that step then," he said. "The most important thing to remember is that you must not go near him. He will taunt, insult, and even outright lie in order to get you upset enough that you forget to stay away from him. I don't think he can jump into any of us since vampire demons traditionally need a dead body to inhabit, but these are unusual circumstances. If he is able to transfer, he would be greatly enabled by physical contact. Or, he might just try to hurt us instead. Don't get close enough to let him do either."  
  
He paused and took a deep breath. Tara felt a shiver go down her spine.  
  
"There's more, isn't there?" she asked.  
  
"Yes." He nodded. "In cases of human possession, the demon often has access to the victim's mind and memories. It uses them to attack. You should be prepared to hear things from him that only your friend should know."  
  
"What?" Buffy asked sharply, the color draining from her face.  
  
Tara grabbed Buffy's arm and said quietly, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Without waiting for an answer she pulled the startled slayer across the room.  
  
Noticing the confused look on the priest's face, Anya explained. "She's probably worried he'll tell us stories from Spike's past. They know Spike's a vampire, but they try not to think about what he did before he started helping."  
  
"And his past doesn't bother you?" Father Mike asked, unsure whether to be amused or concerned at the young woman's nonchalant exclusion of herself from the group who preferred to be ignorant about Spike's history.  
  
Anya shrugged and pouted slightly. "Then never want to hear my stories either."  
  
***  
  
On the other side of the room, the slayer and the witch talked in hushed whispers.  
  
"You should tell her," Tara said.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Buffy's eyes widened and her voice rose.  
  
"Well, it's either her or Xander. And while I do think Xander would accept your relationship with Spike, given time, I . . . he's easily baited, especially about certain subjects."  
  
"Of which, I'm one." Buffy understood Tara's logic. Although she wasn't as optimistic about Xander's acceptance as Tara, she knew her and vampires was a touchy subject with Xander. Tara was right. He was likely to stake first and ask questions later if he participated in Anya's place.  
  
"It might not come up," Tara suggested.  
  
"Oh, if he has access to Spike's mind, it will," Buffy said with certainty. "And it's better Anya know ahead of time."  
  
"Okay. I'll send her over."  
  
"Um, Tara? Could you, could you tell Father Mike? He should know, too."  
  
The witch nodded and crossed the space between the two groups. "Anya? Buffy wants to talk to you for a minute."  
  
As Anya walked away, Tara noticed the priest looked ill at ease, but dismissed the observation, associating it with the upcoming exorcism. She took a deep breath and considered exactly what to tell the man about Buffy and Spike.  
  
Before she could decide, though, he spoke.  
  
"Was she really a demon?"  
  
*Leave it to Anya!* The white witch shook her head and smiled slightly, imagining the exchange, before reassuring the man.  
  
"She was. She's human now."  
  
"Oh," was all the priest said.  
  
"Father?" Tara asked. "There's more. Not about Anya, but . . ."  
  
The man shook his head as if to clear the confusion that had arisen after Anya's revelation. He looked at Tara questioningly.  
  
"Spike and Buffy . . . they. . . they've been s-s-seeing each other."  
  
Father Mike nodded, remembering when Buffy had first approached him about the exorcism, a few short hours before. He had wondered at the pause before she described Spike as her friend. But after learning Spike was a vampire, he had assumed the pause was because of Buffy's reluctance to disclose that fact. However, it seemed their relationship was even more complicated than he had previously thought.  
  
"The others . . . they don't know," Tara continued. "Buffy's telling Anya now, but . . ."  
  
"Don't worry," the priest assured her. He raised his voice as he saw Buffy and Anya approaching so they would hear him too. "Anything I hear during the exorcism will remain confidential."  
  
Considering the slayer hadn't decked Anya, Tara assumed that her admission must have been received at least moderately well. Tara made eye contact with Buffy. She raised her eyebrows and then quickly glanced at Anya and back.  
  
The demoness turned shopkeeper began talking to Father Mike, continuing with the story she had been telling before going to speak with Buffy.  
  
Buffy leaned over to Tara and whispered, "All she said was that it explained why I wasn't interested in that Richard guy they set me up with at the party and she was glad someone else had an orgasm friend."  
  
"And Xander?" Tara's reply was equally low.  
  
"She said she wouldn't tell him, but . . ." Buffy shrugged, knowing Anya's track record with discretion.  
  
"You should probably tell them when this is over," Tara said.  
  
"I know." The slayer sighed. Over Tara's shoulder, she saw the chained vampire open his eyes groggily and raised her voice to address everyone. "He's waking up."  
  
***  
  
As the vampire swam into awareness, the first thing he noticed was four people standing in front of him: one man – a priest, and three women, one of which he recognized as the slayer he had killed and been killed by.  
  
"Do you remember what I told you the first time we met, Slayer?"  
  
"How much you liked my dress?" she responded dryly.  
  
"How prophecies are tricky things. They don't tell you everything. I knew, even as I fell, that I would return. It was written."  
  
"Great. Did it say how I kill you this time?"  
  
"You don't."  
  
"Like I didn't kill you last time?" Buffy smirked at the vampire who wore Spike's face. She was grateful for the vocal differences between the two. She wasn't sure she could handle the Master looking ~and~ sounding like Spike. "You'll find prophecies don't hold a lot of water when it comes to me."  
  
"You know what else it didn't say?" he asked, ignoring her retort.  
  
"Should I even bother to answer that?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "You're just going to tell me anyway."  
  
"That I would kill your lover." He paused, as if confused. "Your vampire lover. What happened? Didn't you get the Slayer Handbook?"  
  
"For crying out loud!" she exclaimed. "Does everyone besides me have a copy of the damn thing?"  
  
"The most . . . interesting part of the bargain, though, is that he's gone, yet I have all his memories." He looked at her and she shuddered when she saw something akin to respect in his eyes. "I should have turned you when I had the chance."  
  
"What?"  
  
He ignored Buffy's glare and continued, sounding very much like a proud parent describing an offspring's accomplishments. "He loved you. The weak, pathetic creature loved you. And you . . . your cruelty. You would have put even my two greatest progeny, Darla and her Angelus, to shame."  
  
Buffy stood unmoving, her knees going weak in shock and anger at the Master's words. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed it and tried again, still unsuccessfully.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about," Anya said. "She's the Slayer. All she does is save people."  
  
The vampire looked at Anya and paused, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Hello, Anyanka. How's the business treating you?" Catching an unexpected scent on the air, he paused and sniffed again. "You're human!"  
  
He glared before closing his eyes, as if shifting through Spike's memories. When he opened them again, he began to laugh. "You're human and marrying the Slayer's faithful sidekick! What is it about this town, makes good demons go soft? Human or not, you're losing your touch, Anyanka. The way your slayer treated her vampire could easily have put you back in the game."  
  
Buffy had regained control of her body as shock and anger had transformed into rage, not only at the Master, but also at herself because she knew the truth behind his words. However, Buffy was never one to reprimand herself when there was a demon close enough to take her anger out on. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath to speak, but the Master cut her off.  
  
"He was a pathetic excuse for my bloodline." He paused, considering before he resumed speaking to Buffy. "What you think you want, that idea of normal you cling to? The irony is that before he was turned, William fit the bill perfectly. But you need monster in your man, too. You would have loved William without reservation, but you need Spike."  
  
"What?" Buffy asked in confusion, recalling Spike's words from that night at the Bronze over a year ago when he'd told her of his past.  
  
*What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad.*  
  
"Your big bad vampire was a cowardly, stuttering poet who hid in corners and wrote appalling poems about his lady love. They called him 'William the Bloody' because of his 'bloody awful poetry.' I believe some even said they'd rather have a railroad spike driven through their heads than listen to his words. She, wisely, wanted nothing to do with him. Told him he was beneath her."  
  
During his speech, all three women's eyes had grown wide in surprise. However, Buffy had begun backing away as his words registered and a few more pieces of the puzzle that was Spike clicked into place. Why hadn't he told her the truth? Why the lies about his violent and destructive human past? *Because that would have made him vulnerable. He was right not to trust you!* she chastised herself. Then, she remembered with horror her own cruel words to him in the alley behind the Bronze that same night. *It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you. You're beneath me.*  
  
The back of her legs hit the edge of the bed and she sat down, grateful for the support. Seeing her making the connections, the Master pressed on.  
  
"That barely counts, though, because you didn't know. But then, he loved you and you knew it. And you used him for everything he was worth. Punching bag, sex slave, escape. Your dirty little secret. He certainly was . . . convenient. For an evil, disgusting thing, that is. Physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional torture you've inflicted on him. I have to say, I'm impressed."  
  
As he neared the end, Buffy had risen from the bed and stalked toward him. She pulled back her fist, ready to punch him in the nose to stop his litany of her sins. Father Mike saw the intent and jumped in front of her, blocking her path.  
  
"Don't touch him," he warned. "That's what he wants."  
  
Buffy nodded, but continued to glare at the Master.  
  
The Master smirked, shifting his lips into a ghastly parody of Spike's lustful leer. He ran his borrowed, oh-so blue eyes up and down Buffy slowly, appreciatively inspecting her body. Her eyes narrowed even further, and he spoke.  
  
"He was right. His first slayer, that was a magnificent kill. But there is one thing better than killing a slayer . . ."  
  
Buffy had pulled a stake from the waistband of her pants and she held it up threateningly. "You don't want to finish that sentence."  
  
The vampire just laughed. "And you don't want to kill me. You think he's still in here. He's not. But there's something else. You don't kill me. It was written."  
  
Buffy turned and retucked the stake in at the small of her back. Looking at Father Mike, she jerked her thumb over her should in the Master's direction.  
  
"Let's get this show on the road. I'm done playing catch up."  
  
"Okay." The priest moved forward and gestured for the three girls to join him. They formed a line directly behind him and joined hands. He held a large wooden cross out in front of him and took a deep breath. He muttered a prayer under his breath.  
  
"Heinrich Nest, Master of the line of Aurelius, do you renounce Satan?" the priest asked. "And all his works? And all his pomps?"  
  
"No." The Master rolled his eyes at the man. "Do you really think it's that easy? Foolish man."  
  
"Pomps?" Buffy whispered.  
  
"Fancy special effects," Anya replied.  
  
"You know?" Tara added. "Like the graduation song. Pomp and Circumstance?"  
  
"Oh," the slayer replied.  
  
"The Lord rebuke you, Heinrich Nest!" Father Mike continued. "Depart, Heinrich Nest, evil spirit, and leave Spike in peace! Leave immediately, Heinrich Nest!"  
  
The Master continued to eye the priest disdainfully. Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to convulse just like when the Master had first entered Spike's body. The convulsions continued longer this time, with Spike's features rapidly changing between his human and demon faces. Grunts and words slipped out as control switched between the two. Buffy nearly smiled when she recognized a few "bloody hells" and once she thought she heard "wanker." Father Mike continued to wave the crucifix in front of the vampire and command Nest to leave.  
  
The seizures slowed and then stopped. The vampire's human face had won the battle. But when he opened his eyes, Buffy's heart sank. They were devoid of any of the love and warmth she had come to associate with Spike's private side.  
  
"I told you it wouldn't be that easy, little girl," the Master's gleeful tones jeered.  
  
A quick seizure and Spike wrested control away from the Master. He spoke quickly, his familiar gaze staring at Buffy imploringly.  
  
"Kill me," he begged. "He's too strong, pet."  
  
His head snapped back as the Master once again won control. Before he could speak though, Spike re-gained the position of power.  
  
"Kill me. I love you, Buffy. I always will. But I can't win."  
  
A dart from the tranquilizer gun impaled itself in his chest and he glanced down at it. He looked back up and as consciousness left him, pled one last time.  
  
"Kill me, luv."  
  
tbc 


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Agghh! Turns out there was a bit of an error in the last section. The Master's name wasn't Aurelius, it was Heinrich Nest. A big THANK YOU to Jason for watching my back and pointing that out to me!  
  
As penance, I'm giving you a new chapter today. Also, I've reposted Ch. 18 with a few corrections. Feel free to re-read the whole thing if you want. If not, here's the Cliff Notes version: I changed the initial exchange b/w Buffy, Anya, and Father Mike about the Master's true name to reflect the correct name. I added a hint that Anya knew and/or at least knew of the Master from her vengeance days. Aside from that, I changed the exorcism scene so Father Mike uses the correct name when commanding the Master's demon to leave.  
  
+++++  
  
Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Buffy looked from the dart sticking out of Spike's chest back to Tara who was lowering the tranquilizer gun.  
  
"I th-th-think we should take a break," the blonde witch said. While she hadn't understood the specific references behind most of what the Master had said to Buffy, she could tell the words had seriously affected the girl. Based on what Buffy had told Tara about her relationship with Spike, the witch suspected the Master had been alluding to times when Buffy had been especially hurtful to the vampire.  
  
Buffy nodded as she walked over to the bed and sat down, examining her hands with a sudden interest.  
  
"We'll wait for him to wake up, and we can try again," Father Mike suggested. "I think it was close."  
  
"No." Although her voice was strong, the tears she had been struggling to contain slipped free and coursed down her cheeks as Buffy spoke. "Spike doesn't give up. If he says he can't do it . . ."  
  
Her back straightened and she removed the stake she had replaced earlier. Buffy took a deep breath as she turned it over in her hands. "I know what I have to do."  
  
***  
  
Upstairs, Dawn slept curled up on the couch, Spike's duster pulled across her as a blanket. Willow and Xander sat on the sarcophagus, facing one another, a deck of cards forgotten between them. They had tried talking, but found it easier to sit and wait in silence. Years of practice waiting in places like their high school library, Giles' apartment, the Summers' living room, and hospitals coalesced to form the pattern they now fell into.  
  
Both turned as the trap door pushed open and Anya's head popped through the opening.  
  
"You need to come," she said before descending again.  
  
Xander looked at Dawn as he stood.  
  
"Let her sleep," Willow said. "At least till we find out what's going on."  
  
Xander nodded and the two old friends approached the hole in the floor, dread growing within each of them. While Anya's summons hadn't sounded overly dire, that fact reassured neither Willow nor Xander.  
  
When they joined the others in the lower level of the crypt, both of the original Slayerettes were struck by the oppressive atmosphere in the room. Spike hung unconscious from the chains against the wall. Buffy sat on the bed, playing with one of her stakes, Tara next to her as if offering support. Father Mike stood off to one side, obviously trying to stay out of the way. Anya was waiting at the bottom of the ladder and took Xander's hand once he had both feet on the cavern floor.  
  
Tara looked up and in a quite voice explained how they had tried the exorcism and the Master and Spike had fought for control. Her voice cracked when she repeated Spike's final plea.  
  
Willow looked stricken; she, like the others, had put a great deal of faith in the vampire's tenacity and strength of will. To hear that he had begged for Buffy to kill him because he couldn't win reverberated deep within her. She hadn't realized how much she had accepted and come to expect the vampire's strength and presence in their lives during the past year. It was as if one of the beams that supported her worldview had been damaged, she mused. If it fell, how much of the way she looked at the world would fall with it?  
  
"We can't," the redhead said decisively.  
  
"I have to." Buffy's soft voice was hollow and filled with sorrow. "He can't survive this way, and we can't let the Master go."  
  
"Maybe there's another way," Tara offered.  
  
"There isn't. He doesn't give up, so if he's giving up . . ." Buffy features hardened and she added in a derisive voice, "Not like I haven't done it before."  
  
"You're right," Xander said, encouragingly. "It's just like all the other vamps you kill on a nightly basis."  
  
Willow elbowed him and whispered, "She means it's like Angel."  
  
"Why?" he whispered back. "It's not like she loves him or even likes him."  
  
"Still . . ." Willow responded. "She knows him."  
  
Xander sighed and raised his voice to volunteer, "I'll do it."  
  
"No," Buffy said. "I'm the Slayer. It's my job." She had heard Willow and Xander's whispered conversation and briefly debated telling them how close to the truth Willow's appraisal was. She dismissed the idea, without fully realizing why. Buffy wasn't certain she could kill Spike. Last year, when she'd learned that the only way to close Glory's portal once it opened would be to kill Dawn, she'd told Giles that she didn't have it in her anymore, to kill someone she loved. While Buffy wasn't sure if she loved Spike, explaining and acknowledging her affair with Spike to her friends would make it real. And then, she would never be able to kill him, even to help him.  
  
Buffy stood and walked to the ladder. She motioned to Spike and said, "Say your good-byes. I'll go tell Dawn."  
  
After the trap door closed behind Buffy, Tara spoke.  
  
"We need to be sure there's nothing else we can do."  
  
"Why?" Xander asked. "Why should we save him when he doesn't want to be saved?"  
  
"Because it'll destroy her," Anya said with certainty.  
  
"What?" Willow asked.  
  
"It will," Tara confirmed. "She's just getting over the post-heaven depression. Not to mention losing her Mom so soon after Riley left . . . It's a lot. If we can find another way, we should."  
  
"Joyce and Riley," Xander began. "I mean that was a bad time, but it was nearly a year ago. And she's been back for almost six months. Shouldn't she be over it by now?"  
  
"You have to remember, Xander," Tara replied. "Riley left, and her mom died and then all that stuff with Glory. And then she died. We had all summer to grieve but she didn't. None of us were as close to Riley or Joyce as she was, except maybe Dawn."  
  
"And then we pulled her out of Heaven and dumped all our problems on her again and didn't even think how all that must have piled up." Willow finished Tara's thought in a horrified whisper.  
  
"Oh man . . ." Xander trailed off. Then, remembering the focus of their discussion said, "But still, it's Spike."  
  
"I think she's been spending time with him since she came back," Tara offered timidly, trying to make Xander see without revealing Buffy's secret.  
  
Seeing that Xander was about to dispute Tara's statement, Anya said, "Think about it, honey. When she came back, you had me and Willow had Tara. Giles left and she has to take care of Dawn. Who else was she going to turn to?"  
  
"We can't let her kill him," Willow agreed, expressing certainty and determination both in her voice and her features. "See? Resolve face."  
  
Father Mike had silently listened to the exchange. He was in agreement that the girl should not have to kill her lover, even if he was a demon. Someone else maybe, but not her. He had not felt it was his place to intrude upon the conversation. However, Tara and Willow had said something he could not ignore.  
  
"Excuse me, did you say that Buffy died?"  
  
***  
  
Dawn woke to her sister gently shaking her shoulder. When her eyes came into focus, the younger girl first noticed that Buffy's face had the same hallow look she'd worn when she came to Dawn's school with news of their mother's death. She immediately sat up, worried.  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"It didn't work, Dawnie," Buffy replied, near tears again. "I'm sorry."  
  
"What do you mean it didn't work? Spike's going to be okay, right? He has to be okay!" With each statement the teen's voice rose and she spoke faster.  
  
"He . . . he said he couldn't beat the Master," Buffy explained with a catch in her voice. "He asked me to . . . kill him."  
  
"NO!" Dawn's voice rose to near screaming and tears started flowing down her cheeks. "You can't! I can't lose him, too!"  
  
Buffy enveloped her sister in a hug. "I know. I know. But . . . I have to, Dawnie."  
  
"No!" Dawn's protest was muffled by Buffy's shoulder. "There has to be another way!"  
  
"It's not fair to him . . . to leave him in there with the Master controlling him." Buffy began to rock them back and forth, trying to calm her sister, as well as herself.  
  
"Ah, isn't this a cozy scene." A sarcastic female voice came from the crypt's door interrupted the sisters' grief.  
  
Buffy quickly let go of Dawn and jumped into a fighting crouch in front of the younger girl. Recognizing the figure standing in the doorway, the slayer relaxed her posture.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Is Spike here?" she asked, ignoring Buffy's question. "I want to talk to him."  
  
"He's not really in the talking mood," the slayer answered and moved to intercept the other woman as she headed for the trapdoor.  
  
"What? You have him all chained up downstairs?" she responded, laughing at Buffy's surprised look. "Isn't that an ironic turn of events. I know what happened. I just wanted to know if I could have his crypt once he's gone. I mean, the Master's not going to stick around this hellhole. He's–"  
  
Her voice cut off as she found an enraged slayer's hand around her neck, pinning her to the wall.  
  
"You're not going to need a crypt when I'm done with you, Harmony." Buffy threatened. "You're not even going to need an urn."  
  
"You can't kill me," Harmony replied, grateful that vampires didn't need to breath.  
  
"Why does everyone keep saying that tonight?" Buffy asked, rolling her eyes. "First the Master and now you. Why, pray tell, am I not going to kill you?"  
  
"Because," the blonde vampire smirked, knowing that despite what Buffy might think, she had the upper hand. "My boyfriend knows where I am."  
  
Buffy just looked at Harmony when the vampire didn't continue.  
  
Shrugging, Buffy said, "I'll kill him too."  
  
"You can't. He's human." Harmony paused. "Plus, he has a video tape I'm sure your friends would be very interested in."  
  
Buffy's hand tightened around Harmony's neck and her glare intensified. "What kind of tape?"  
  
"Let me go," Harmony commanded. When Buffy didn't respond, she continued, "I know you don't think I'm very smart. I'm no Einstein like your friend, Willow. But I do know one thing, and that's social standing. It's a tape of you . . . fighting a vampire just outside here, last night."  
  
"So?" Dawn spoke up. "We already know Buffy's the Slayer. And it's not like anyone else is going to believe it's anything but special effects."  
  
Buffy, however, remembered the one and only vampire she had dusted the previous evening. It had been in front of Spike's crypt and she and Spike had been kissing before and after the attack. Buffy hated being blackmailed, especially by the likes of Harmony, but she had to admire the subtlety Harmony employed to convey her message. It showed much more intelligence than Buffy would have bet the other blonde possessed.  
  
She abruptly released Harmony and vampire fell to the floor. "Fine. Go. But you can not have the crypt after . . . Move in here and I will kill you, tape or no tape. Got it?"  
  
"What?" Harmony said, surprised. "I really just wanted to see what was going on. I figured since Spike's all white-hat these days you guys were going to fix him."  
  
"We tried. It didn't work." Buffy sighed and gestured to the trapdoor. "You want to say good-bye, now's your chance."  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Again, thanks for the reviews! They really make my day. I think this story is going to end up with somewhere between 22 and 25 chapters. I'd also like to finish before the next new episode. (No promises signed in blood, though.) The previews have me a little scared and if I end up mad at and/or disappointed in someone when it's over, I won't be in any mood to write. 


	20. Chapter 20

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 20  
  
"Oh" Harmony paused. Then remembering that she didn't care what happened to Spike because of the way their relationship had ended, she exclaimed, "Right! Like I'm really all broke up that he's going to die. He always made all these promises that he never kept. He said he'd take me to Paris and all over Europe. He said we'd be rich and that I was his princess. But I was never good enough. I wasn't his precious, crazy sire and I wasn't you!"  
  
She spun away from the slayer and stormed to the crypt door. When she reached it, she turned around and the sisters could see that she was close to tears.  
  
"You think I didn't know?" she continued. "He was in love with you for, like, ever. Probably even before Drusilla left him. You think I didn't know that he was using me because he could pretend I was you? I knew. But I loved him. He was my Blondie Bear. I just wanted him to be happy. I . . ."  
  
Harmony's voice had slowly lost momentum. As her words trailed off, she glared once more at Buffy and walked out, slamming the door behind her.  
  
***  
  
"Excuse me, did you say that Buffy died?"  
  
Willow, Tara, and Xander froze like a heard of the proverbial deer caught in the headlights of an on-coming car at Father Mike's question, desperately looking at one another for a clue as to how to answer the question. Anya, of course, didn't even blink before she answered factually.  
  
"Yes, she's died twice now. The first time was only for a minute or two. She drowned and Xander brought her back with CPR. The second time, she . . ." the ex-demon paused as Xander increased the pressure with which he was holding her hand in a silent signal to stop talking. ". . . died. But she's better now, and it's not really that interesting."  
  
Father Mike remembered Buffy's earlier comment, *joke?* about waking up in a coffin and hesitantly asked, "She's not a, um, vampire?"  
  
Buffy and Dawn had descended the ladder during Anya's aborted explanation. Buffy sighed, and said, "Nope. Living, breathing, heart- beating human being. It's a long story."  
  
Willow noticed Dawn still standing next to the ladder, her large, tear filled eyes locked on Spike's unconscious body and decided to speak up.  
  
"We decided that there has to be another way. We can't just give up."  
  
Tara was the only one who noticed that Buffy's shoulders dropped slightly in relief at Willow's pronouncement, betraying the rigid I'm-the- strong-one-damnit stance she had been holding.  
  
Dawn looked hopefully to the redhead. "Really?"  
  
"Tell us again what happened before we got there, Dawn," Willow said.  
  
Dawn recounted the events of the evening as best she could remember while the others listened intently.  
  
"Wait," Tara said. She paused, gathering her thoughts. "We think the Master went into Spike because it couldn't survive in Doc, right?"  
  
When the others nodded affirmatively, she continued. "So we know that he can travel between hosts. But, we also don't think he can move to a live host. What about another vampire?"  
  
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed. "That might work. I mean, if we got another vamp and did the exorcism again, the Master might give up and go to the new host."  
  
"Your best bet would probably be another vampire from the Master's line," Anya said. "The younger the better."  
  
Buffy nodded, thinking. "We know he hasn't turned anyone since he got chipped. I wonder if there's anyone left from his Gem of Amara fixation. He probably still had minions then."  
  
"Yeah!" Willow snorted. "And Harmony!" Her voice rose as she imitated the ditzy blonde. "My boyfriend's going to kill you."  
  
"Damn it!" Buffy exclaimed. "Harmony was just upstairs."  
  
"But we don't know that he turned Harmony," Xander pointed out. "I mean, that's kind of low, even for the guy that spent a hundred years having tea parties with Drusilla's dolls."  
  
"Hey!" a muffled voice that sounded suspiciously like Harmony's exclaimed indignantly.  
  
The group went silent and seven heads turned to look into the darkness of one of the tunnels leading from the crypt to the sewer system.  
  
Buffy silently skirted the cavern and paused against the wall next to the opening. She quickly reached inside and pulled a very startled Abe and his camera into the light.  
  
"Oh, for the love of . . ." the slayer rolled her eyes as she figured out exactly who had set the reporters onto her. "Harmony, get your undead ass out here before I hurt your boyfriend!"  
  
"That's not my boyfriend." She walked into the soft candlelight with Blair following her. "This is my boyfriend, my sweet boo-boo."  
  
"Whatever." Buffy responded, not caring who Harmony was dating. "Who's your sire, Harmony?"  
  
"Why?" The vampire asked the question suspiciously, but made no move to run.  
  
"It's for the census. Was it Spike?" Buffy guessed that she hadn't overheard enough of the conversation to feel the need to lie.  
  
"The census keeps track of vampires? Huh. I don't remember his name. You killed him a couple of days after I was turned."  
  
"Did he tell you anything? Like who his sire was, or what your family bloodline was?  
  
Harmony wrinkled her brow, and thought hard. She belonged to one of the good clans, she knew. At least her sire had said it was one of the good ones. What was it? Something about a Disney movie . . .  
  
"Oh!" She brightened as she remembered the information. "The clan of the Little Mermaid!"  
  
Buffy and the Scoobies stared at her as if she had grown a second head.  
  
"What? Is my hair okay?" Harmony began to frantically pat down her hair.  
  
"It's fine, honey," Blair assured her.  
  
Buffy took a deep breath and slowly asked, "The clan of the Little Mermaid? Are you sure?"  
  
"What?" Harmony forgot about her hair, sensing that the slayer was unhappy with her answer. While it was fair to say that Harmony would never have the sharpest fangs in the graveyard, she still knew that an unhappy slayer rapidly lead to one less vampire. "Um, yes? No! Not the Little Mermaid as in 'The Little Mermaid,' but her name. Ariel."  
  
A collective groan arose from the Scoobies as Willow asked, "Aurelius?"  
  
"That's it! I knew it had something to do with the Little Mermaid!"  
  
"I thought your last name was Kendall!" Blair said, looking back and forth anxiously between Buffy and his girlfriend.  
  
"Um, wussy TV guy?" Dawn asked as a giggle escaped. "Remember how you found out that vampires exist earlier?" *And screamed like a girl?* "Let's just say Spike's not the first vampire you met."  
  
The look on Blair's and Abe's faces as they realized what Dawn meant made the teen desperately wish she was holding Abe's camera.  
  
"H-h-honey?" Blair asked, slowly backing away from Harmony.  
  
"Don't worry," Buffy said as she grabbed Harmony by the arm. "Pretty soon you won't have to worry about it."  
  
The Slayer pulled the vampire across the room until she stood next to Spike. "Stay there!" Buffy commanded. She nodded at Tara, who picked the tranquilizer gun up and aimed it at Harmony.  
  
Buffy crossed the room to a wooden chest and began digging around inside it. She came up with a pair of hand cuffs and another chair. She when back to Harmony and quickly snapped the cuffs on her before running the chain up the wall and affixing its other end to the chain holding Spike's left wrist in place.  
  
"Wait!" Blair had finally regained the use of his voice. "What are you going to do to her?"  
  
"Demon transplant," Buffy said nonchalantly, as if that explained the situation perfectly.  
  
"What?" Harmony cried. "But I like my demon! You can't have her!"  
  
"Oh, we're not taking yours out," Anya explained helpfully. "We're going to take the Master's out of Spike and put it in you so we can kill you both without hurting Spike."  
  
"WHAT?" Blair's shout echoed off the walls. "No! You can't kill her! She's my girlfriend! I love her!"  
  
"She's an evil, soulless bloodsucker," Buffy explained. "Granted you probably won't find her on People's 'Top Ten Most Likely to Destroy the World' list, but she will turn on you." *How can someone be so stupid as to get involved with a vampire anywa . . . Okay, overlook the irony much, Buff?*  
  
"Hey! I could destroy the world if I wanted to!" Harmony protested indignantly, then calmed as she remembered how well her earlier threat had worked on the slayer. "But you're forgetting, Buffy. You can't kill me, remember?"  
  
*Right, that damn tape.* Buffy quickly weighed her options and then sighed. "Okay." She unchained and uncuffed the female vampire.  
  
"I still want to help." Harmony said. "You need someone of my bloodline, right? I'll just go turn someone for you to use."  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Again, thanks for the reviews! I get all giddy and lightheaded when I read them. And I feel encouraged to write. More soon! 


	21. Chapter 21

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 21  
  
  
  
*Only on the Hellmouth!* Buffy thought as she tried to explain to Harmony for the sixth time why it would be wrong to just go and turn the first poor soul she found. Finally, Buffy resorted to, "Because I'm the Slayer, and I say so!"  
  
"Fine!" Harmony huffed. "What do you want then? You're not using me!"  
  
The two women stood in Abe's hotel room, arguing. Buffy had insisted on viewing the tape Harmony was holding over her head in blackmail, so they had stopped at the hotel the journalists were using.  
  
"Look, Harmony," Buffy said with a sigh. "Remember last year when you had, um, minions?" She struggled to keep a straight face, remembering exactly why she found the thought of Harmony with minions so funny.  
  
The undead blonde nodded.  
  
"Are any of them still around? One of them would work."  
  
"Well," Harmony said condescendingly, "someone counted their eggs before they hatched and slayed them. Except . . ."  
  
Buffy bit her tongue to keep from pointing out not only Harmony's butchering of the cliché, but the fact that it didn't even make sense in the situation.  
  
"Except what?" the slayer asked.  
  
"You're not going to kill me if I tell you I made some more after you slayed my first batch, are you?" Harmony asked warily.  
  
"Normally, yes." Buffy sighed. "But seeing as I need you to help me find one of them, no."  
  
"Well, then I think one or two are still around."  
  
"And where, exactly, would 'around' be?"  
  
"I don't know!" Harmony said indignantly. "You expect me to know everything? I've been in L.A. for months! It's not like I'm their mother or something."  
  
"Harmony, you're their sire," Buffy explained, rolling her eyes. "That's the vampire equivalent of being their mother." She shook her head, deciding this train of questioning was useless. "Never mind. We'll go to Willy's and go from there."  
  
"Um, it's ready," Abe said, gesturing to the TV. He was loath to interrupt the two obviously strong and possibly dangerous women. While he had never though Harmony much more than a pretty face, the fact that she was a vampire did not reassure him of her harmlessness. And the strength with which Buffy had yanked him out of the tunnel earlier spoke of her ability to pound him into pulp if she so desired.  
  
Buffy had demanded to see the tape with which Harmony had threatened her. Although she had the feeling that her affair with Spike was moving dangerously close to coming out into the open, she was determined to prevent that for as long as possible.  
  
Abe pushed play and the vampire, the slayer, and the two newsmen watched in silence. Buffy noted thankfully that there was no sound. However, the pictures were incriminating enough. On the tape, Spike carried Buffy into the crypt and the picture returned to the plain landscape of the cemetery. Abe pushed stop and ejected the tape.  
  
Harmony took it from him and waved it tauntingly in front of Buffy's face.  
  
"Your dirty little secret, and I've got it all on tape!" Although she didn't say it, Harmony's tone betrayed the *Nay-na-na-na-na-na* behind the statement.  
  
Buffy narrowed her eyes as the vampire continued to taunt her. "That the only one, Harmony?"  
  
Blair opened his mouth to lie and say that they had already made copies and mailed them to the home office, but Harmony spoke before he could, the glee in her voice confirming what Buffy wanted to know.  
  
"Yup, this one little tape means you have to do whatever I say!" she crowed.  
  
Using her slayer reflexes, Buffy grabbed the cassette from the other woman and broke it in half. Then, she ripped the tape from the broken frame and tore it into several pieces, stuffing a significant portion from the end of the tape into her pocket.  
  
"This is how it's going to be," she said, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the other three. "Harmony and I are going to find one of her idiot minions. While we're gone, you boys are going to pack up. When Harmony returns, the three of you are going to leave town and not come back. There will be no taping or interviewing of me or anyone near me. If a story shows up on your show that mentions me, Spike, or anyone else you've met tonight, I will come to L.A. and kill Harmony. Are we clear?"  
  
"C-c-crystal," Blair managed to say, his face ashen.  
  
"And Harmony?" Buffy turned to focus on the other blonde. "If you mention me and Spike to my friends, your boyfriend will be taking you home in a Dustbuster."  
  
Harmony nodded, sufficiently scolded.  
  
"Good." Buffy turned and walked out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Come on, Harm."  
  
***  
  
Willy's had been a bust. Since it was close to four in the morning by this point, the Bronze would already be closed. That left the slayer and her reluctant vampire ally with two options: start searching Sunnydale's extensive sewer system or try the demon bar Spike had introduced Buffy to the previous fall. Since then, she had tried to keep from going in, fists blazing, demanding information because she wanted one place where she and Spike could go that her friends would never find out about. Marching in and beating information out of the bar's clientele would be ultimately self-defeating, she had decided, regardless of how good it might feel. Of course, she had yet to mention this idea to Spike, but she held onto it in the back of her mind.  
  
So, when the slayer and vampire walked in together they were a few raised eyebrows, especially from those who recognized either Buffy or her companion, but the usual conspicuous evacuation that often accompanied her visits to Willy's did not occur. Buffy decided to forego the bartender for now and marched straight to the door leading to the back room.  
  
The four occupants of the room looked up when the blonde pair entered. One of the demons was a complete stranger to Buffy; she didn't even think she knew what species he was. She could tell he was big, even sitting down and he was covered in a purplish-gray, leathery hide. Two of the players she vaguely recognized and suspected had been there the night she had gotten drunk and Spike had introduced her to the world of kitten poker. One of them had dark red skin, big curving horns on either side of his head, and three eyes. The other's head vaguely resembled a dirty beige pineapple, with many small peaks, all pointing up. The fourth she recognized all too well.  
  
"Hey, Clem," she said, smiling friendlily. "We're looking for someone, a vampire. Thought you might be able to help."  
  
"Ah, hey," the demon responded, eyeing the large tranquilizer gun the slayer carried. As the others looked at Buffy, she saw him slip a card into the folds of the skin on his arm. "I haven't seen Spike tonight."  
  
"Oh, not him," Buffy waved her hand, dismissively, trying to hide the worry she felt.  
  
"We don't rat out our kind to the Slayer," the strange demon spoke up in a deep voice. "Isn't one traitorous vampire enough for you?"  
  
Ignoring the barb, Buffy continued to smile, mentally making a note to be on the look-out for Mr. Not-So-Friendly during future patrols. "Actually, I'm helping my friend Harmony here. She's looking for one of her minions. He ran off on her. Name's . . ."  
  
Buffy paused and looked at Harmony who supplied, "Jarred."  
  
"Why would you help her, Slayer?" the mouthy demon asked again. "Why should we help you?"  
  
"Can't let discipline slip or the forces of darkness become all ineffectual and I'm out of a job," Buffy explained cheerfully. Seeing that her sarcasm wasn't being well received, she leaned in and pretended to level with the demon. "I'm doing a little freelance work these days. Believe it or not, fighting the good fight's not that big in the salary and benefits department. Gotta pick up the slack somewhere."  
  
Before the demon could respond to Buffy's mock confidence, Clem spoke up. He knew of a vamp nest that he thought Jarred belonged to and gave them directions. Once he finished, Harmony brightened considerably and said, "Oh, my old lair! Why didn't I think of that?"  
  
Buffy barely refrained from hitting her.  
  
***  
  
About an hour later, Buffy eyed the skyline apprehensively as she lugged an unconscious, handcuffed Jarred through the cemetery towards Spike's crypt. She didn't relish the thought of all her hard work finding this vamp going up in flames if the sun rose before she got her captive inside. Buffy and Harmony had indeed found Jarred in Harmony's old lair. Thankfully, though, he was alone. Harmony stared to yell at him and while he was distracted trying to figure out why his sire, who had abandoned him, was screaming in his face, Buffy shot him.  
  
Since dawn was approaching and Buffy judged that she had threatened Harmony sufficiently, she opted not to escort the other blonde back to the hotel. Instead the slayer had given her one final warning about leaving town immediately.  
  
Buffy entered the crypt and walked over to the trapdoor. She dropped the unconscious vampire through the hole and then followed him down. When she reached the bottom, she took in the scene before her. Dawn was sleeping on one side of Spike's bed, while Anya and Xander cuddled together in sleep on the other side. *Thank God they're fully clothed!* Willow had commandeered a few of the pillows from the bed and was lying on her side on the floor, also slumbering.  
  
Tara sat on a trunk across from Spike, apparently on watch. Next to her was another dart for the gun. Buffy had left it so that if Spike awoke before her return, they could sedate him again. Near Tara, Father Mike sat on one of the wooden coffins with his back against the wall, reading from a Bible. The slayer shook her head slightly, disturbed that the scene didn't surprise her more. *Only I would be unfazed to find my friends having a slumber party in a vampire's crypt and said vampire chained to the wall!*  
  
The witch and the priest looked up when Buffy arrived. The slayer picked up Jarred as Tara moved to wake up the others. As the witch roused them, the Scoobies moved to their assigned positions. Willow, Xander, and Dawn returned to the upper level of the crypt, while Tara and Anya sat on the side of the bed facing Spike. Buffy deposited Jarred on the ground on the other side of the bed and ran a chain from the handcuffs to one of the bed's legs. They had decided that the Master wasn't likely to jump into the other vampire if he thought it was a trap. They hoped that, by hiding Jarred, they could convince the Master that the young vampire had wandered in and they would deal with him later. Or perhaps he would think they didn't even know Jarred was there.  
  
"Where's Harmony?" Anya asked, assuming Buffy would have kept Harmony around as a back-up plan.  
  
"I told her to leave town," Buffy said. While keeping Harmony around had crossed her mind, she was hesitant to hurt the blonde, unless absolutely necessary. This revelation disturbed Buffy slightly, but she pushed it aside. "Oh, that reminds me."  
  
She pulled the tape from the video cassette out of her pocket and held it out to Tara. "Can you magically destroy this?"  
  
Tara looked at it and decided not to question it. She nodded. "Put it down."  
  
Once Buffy placed it on the ground, the witch waved her hand over the pile and murmured a few magick words. The tape burst into flame and quickly disintegrated, leaving a small pile of ashes, which Buffy scattered with her foot.  
  
"Don't ask," she said, seeing Anya's mouth open.  
  
The shopkeeper closed her mouth and nodded.  
  
"Are we ready for round two?" Buffy asked, turning to Father Mike.  
  
The priest nodded and gestured at Spike. "As soon as he wakes up."  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Wow! Thanks for the reviews! It sounds cliché, but they do encourage me to write faster. I'm glad so many folks are enjoying the story and I'll try to keep the same level of storytelling through to the end. 


	22. Chapter 22

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 22  
  
  
  
"We were talking while you were gone, Buffy," Tara said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended on the four humans as they waited for the two demons sharing Spike's body to wake up.  
  
"Huh?" the Slayer looked up, startled out of her thoughts.  
  
"About what we could do to, um, improve our chances," the witch continued.  
  
"Yes," Father Mike interjected. "I think there are some things we can do to weaken the Master, hopefully giving your friend the advantage. It's clear that they are pretty evenly matched. Of course, Spike has the home court advantage, so to speak. And from what Anya's told me of bloodline dominance, I would guess that the Master is holding the edge over Spike simply through that, er, tradition."  
  
Buffy snorted. "Spike's not one to bow to tradition. He enjoys being a rebel. There's no way he'd choose to bow to the Master unless he thought it was to his advantage." She shook her head. "I thought that at too, first. But he's defined his elders before. And the fact that he said he couldn't win…"  
  
"No," Anya spoke up. "Dominance and submission aren't a simple choice like deciding what to wear for the day. Respect of blood elders is ingrained in vampire culture to the point that it's almost not a choice."  
  
"Kind of like you not talking about sex publicly?" Buffy asked dryly.  
  
"Exactly!" the ex-demon exclaimed before furrowing her brows, wondering if she was being made fun of.  
  
"But self-preservation's a pretty strong force, too," Tara said. "And knowing Spike, it's not even a question which of those will win out if we can give him an extra push."  
  
Okay, then," Buffy said determinedly. "What can we do to distract him?"  
  
***  
  
When Spike's eyelids began to flutter, indicating the body's return to consciousness, the exorcism team was ready.  
  
Father Mike moved to stand in front of the vampire, while the three women once again formed a line. This time, however, they stood to one side of the priest, in order to make sure that the vampire could see all of them clearly. He raised his head, and noting the positions of the four in front of him, pulled Spike's lips into a smirk. Seeing that he was awake, the team went on the offensive.  
  
"Before we dust you," Tara said in a serious tone, "I have a few questions. For the Watchers Council."  
  
"You're not going to dust me or you would have done it already," the Master sneered.  
  
"We were," Buffy said, twirling her stake in one hand. "But the council insisted that we get some information out of you first. You know how they are. All about the information."  
  
"Why would I possibly answer your questions?" he asked in an amused tone, as if the very idea that he would cooperate with their interview was ludicrous. *Which,* Buffy acknowledged to herself, *it probably is. Good thing this isn't real!*  
  
Doing her best impression of Faith, Buffy leaned in, smiling seductively. "Simple. You answer the questions, you go quick. You don't, and we'll find out how good a book 'The Complete Idiots Guide to Torture' really is. Your choice."  
  
Before he could respond, Tara spoke. "For the record, how exactly did you manage to get yourself stuck in the Hellmouth in the, 30's, was it?"  
  
"Oh!" Anya said in a surprised voice, as per the plan. "That was me."  
  
"What?" Both Buffy and Tara turned to look at the third woman in simulated shock.  
  
"It was me," Anya repeated, shrugging. She winked at the other women, "You know what they say about a woman scorned."  
  
"What?" The Master asked, outraged. "That was over five hundred years ago!"  
  
"Hey," Anya said, "you should have known better than to jilt a vengeance demon. I mean, really, how stupid do you have to be?"  
  
"Hmmm." Tara nodded her head, appearing to be deep in thought. "Vengeance is a dish best served cold." She looked at Anya. "Good job."  
  
At this point, the Master's attention was focused fully on the women and he was taken by surprise when Father Mike started the exorcism.  
  
"Heinrich Nest," the priest began.  
  
"Thank you, Tara." Anya said as if Father Mike hadn't spoken. "You know," she continued in a tone that indicated she was sharing a life lesson, "it's never too late to extract vengeance."  
  
"Master of the line of Aurelius, do you renounce Satan?"  
  
"Nor is there such a thing as too much vengeance," she said and then turned to the Master. "My fiancé, Xander, is a much better lover than you ever were."  
  
"And all his works?"  
  
"Really. He's great!" She turned to the other women and spoke as if gossiping. "I mean, you'd think vampire endurance, right? But not that one. He was pretty much the wham-bam-not-so-much-as-a-thank-you-Anyanka kind of guy. Humph. Pathetic, really!"  
  
"And all his pomps?"  
  
"No concern for his partner. And that the wham-bam wasn't even all that good!"  
  
The pull of the priest's questions, combined with Anya's disparaging comments about his sexual prowess were too much for the Master and his head flew back and forth between the two, trying to keep up. This distraction was exactly the reaction the group had been looking for. While Buffy and Tara hadn't quite known how to react when Anya had revealed her past relationship with the Master, neither felt they were in a position to criticize anyone else's choice of romantic partner. Plus, Anya's fervent plea to not tell Xander had put her on even ground with the slayer. Both would keep the other's secret for fear of her own getting out.  
  
Once they judged the Master sufficiently distracted, the four joined hands and said the last part of the ceremony all together. Father Mike had insisted that combing their strengths – his as a priest, Anya's as a being who had lived for over 1,000 years, Tara's mental powers from witchcraft, and Buffy's love for Spike – would be more effective than him alone.  
  
Anya had swelled with pride that her past was being recognized as useful. Tara mentally raised an eyebrow; she was sure the priest didn't believe in magick, but dismissed the discrepancy. She knew her power to be true and decided that's all that mattered. Buffy had opened her mouth to protest the priest's belief about her love for Spike, but then rationalized that he didn't mean love as in "love love," but love as in the sense of protection she felt for any of the innocent she protected on a daily basis. *Not that Spike's all that innocent…* Together the four spoke.  
  
"The Lord rebuke you, Heinrich Nest! Depart, Heinrich Nest, evil spirit, and leave Spike in peace! Leave immediately, Heinrich Nest!"  
  
Even before they finished the final command, the seizures started. This time they were more violent, as if the two demons knew that this battle would determine a final winner. Both were fighting for life, or unlife, as the case may be. The Master knew if he left, his demon would dissipate into the air without a physical host to reside in. If that happened, he wasn't sure if he would return to hell or simply cease to exist. He rather suspected the latter, and the idea terrified him.  
  
Spike knew that if he let the Master win, Buffy would be forced to stake him. He would want her to, rather than let the Master roam free. But he didn't really want to die. More than that, though, he wanted to avoid forcing her to kill another one of her lovers. From what he'd heard, she hadn't taken it too well the last time and he refused to put her in the position to experience that much pain again.  
  
While the two battled and Spike's features shifted between demonic and human, the exorcism team kept chanting their mantra of commands.  
  
"The Lord rebuke you, Heinrich Nest! Depart, Heinrich Nest, evil spirit, and leave Spike in peace! Leave immediately, Heinrich Nest!"  
  
The two were pretty evenly matched, and Spike realized this could be a long fight. He idly wondered who would tire and give up first before gathering his strength for another assault.  
  
The Master was losing and he knew it. He didn't know, however, if Spike realized he had the upper hand yet or not. But the Master's distraction at the beginning of the ritual, combined with the fact that Spike inherently had some advantage since it was his body, meant that the Master felt his hold slipping. The strength pouring out of the four humans, pulling at the Master's demon didn't help matters any, either.  
  
The Master desperately searched for a way to reassert his control. "She'll never love you," he whispered to Spike's demon. "No matter what, all you'll ever be is beneath her."  
  
Spike's demon mentally shrugged and responded in his cockiest tone, "You'll have to do better than that, mate. She's here, isn't she?"  
  
"Only because she doesn't want to lose her sex toy, childe," he responded condescendingly. Then, the Master paused. He could sense something. He ignored Spike's reply and focused on the feeling. It almost felt like…another vampire. One of his bloodline! Anyone had to be easier to control than this infuriating, insufferable childe who was a Master Vampire in his own right. Yes! The Master could tell that the other vampire was young, very young, maybe not even a decade old. He wanted to try and learn more about the other vampire, but extending his senses to study it had only weakened his hold more.  
  
The Master knew that he was quickly running out of options. At this point, he was pretty sure Spike's demon was going to force him out of the body they shared. That meant he could dissipate into the air, or take his chances with this other vampire. With one last metaphysical slap upside the head, the Master abandoned Spike's body.  
  
The exorcism team ceased chanting when the convulsions stopped. They waited, hopefully looking for a sign that their efforts had been successful. However, the fight had taken a lot out of Spike, not to mention that he was now supporting the full after-effects of the multiple doses of tranquilizer. He hadn't realized that the Master had been shouldering half of that burden before. The combined result made it difficult to lift his head and look at Buffy.  
  
He managed, though, and was amazed to see how bright her eyes became as she recognized him in his gaze. *Are those tears in her eyes? For me?*  
  
"Hallo, luv." He smiled weakly.  
  
Before Buffy could reply, a resounding crash was heard from the other side of the room and the four humans turned as one. The bed tiled down at one corner, as if someone had broken one of its legs. They watched in horror as Jarred, now controlled by the Master stood and pulled his wrists apart, snapping the links between the two handcuffs as if they were made of thread.  
  
Buffy's eyes grew wide. Neither she nor Spike had been able to break the handcuffs and both had tried, repeatedly.  
  
"Wow," she said moving in front of the other three. "Jarred must take his vitamins."  
  
"Actually," the Master responded, "I think he's been feeding on drug users. I never did care for the taste myself. But if you can get past that, the blood's quite…invigorating."  
  
"Let me guess," the slayer responded drolly as the Master moved out from behind the bed. "PCP?"  
  
Vampire and slayer circled one another.  
  
"I always did dislike the bantering," the Master said, ignoring Buffy's question. Then, he lunged and the fight began in earnest.  
  
Buffy sent him staggering backwards with a swift uppercut, followed by a sharp jab to the nose. He responded by kicking out and trying to sweep her legs out from under her. The slayer jumped over his extended leg.  
  
"That all you got, old man?" she taunted.  
  
As soon as her feet returned to the earth, she launched into a roundhouse kick to his head, which he dodged. As Buffy was pivoting and regaining her equilibrium, his foot shot up and caught her in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. She landed on her back on the bed and the Master was on top of her in an instant. His knees clamped on either side of her thighs, immobilizing her legs. He pinned her arms above her with one hand and pulled her head sharply to the side with the other, exposing her neck.  
  
"Yes," he whispered so only she could hear, "you'll make a fine vampire."  
  
He lowered his head to her neck, and sank his fangs into her flesh.  
  
tbc  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: Aggggh! Even I'm on edge after that cliffhanger! Good news, though: Consider this the last commercial break before the end! And I promise to have the final part up tomorrow, Tuesday, 4/30. Thanks, as always, for the reviews! I can not adequately begin to describe what they mean to me! 


	23. Chapter 23

Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?  
  
Chapter 23 – The Final Chapter  
  
  
  
As soon as Buffy and the Master started fighting, Tara withdrew the key to Spike's manacles from her pocket and gave it to Anya. Then, she turned her attention to the fight, looking for some way to help. She glanced forlornly at the tranquilizer gun propped against the wall on the other side of the combatants.  
  
Anya worked at the restraints. Spike, seeing the fight, was struggling to get out of the cuffs, and his movements made it difficult for Anya to place and keep the key in the locks.  
  
As the Master bit into her neck and began to drain her life-force, Buffy struggled against him. She tried to buck him off, but his grip on her was too tight and well placed. That, combined with her ever-growing weakness due to blood loss, prevented Buffy from moving much at all.  
  
Suddenly, she felt the Master's fangs being torn away from her neck and she struggled to sit up as his weight was removed from her.  
  
"Get your bloody paws off my girl!" exclaimed a familiar British voice.  
  
Spike pulled the Master off Buffy's body and decked him. As the two began to exchange blows, Tara rushed over to check on Buffy. The slayer sat up weakly and waved off the witch's help. Tara ignored her and pulled up the edge of the bedspread to staunch the wound on Buffy's throat.  
  
"It's okay, Tara," she said. "Occupational hazard."  
  
When Buffy saw that the witch wasn't convinced, she continued, "Really. He didn't get that much. I'll be fine."  
  
The slayer gently pushed Tara's hand away and stood to join the fight. The two vampires were still exchanging blows. It was obvious, though, that the night's activities had taken a toll on both of them. Neither moved with the speed and grace she was used to seeing from Spike, nor that she expected from a vampire of the Master's years and lineage.  
  
Buffy stood and surveyed the room, looking for a weapon. She noted that she would have to go through the combatants to reach either the weapons chest or the tranquilizer gun that leaned against it. *Didn't I have a stake before?* She felt in the small of her back, but it was gone. *Must have lost it during the last round.* She scanned the floor, but didn't see it anywhere.  
  
Shrugging, she jumped up onto the mattress and crossed it in two quick steps.  
  
As soon as she landed on the other side, she moved from behind the bed and called out in a singsong voice, "Don't you know it's not polite to attack your host?"  
  
As the Master turned to find himself trapped between chipped vampire and slayer, she continued. "Get it? Because this is his house and you used his body to host your demon?"  
  
When the Master failed to laugh, Buffy shrugged. "Guess we can't all appreciate the finer puns in life." Then she launched a kick at the Master's chest.  
  
"I thought it was funny, pet." As he spoke, Spike initiated an attack on the Master from behind.  
  
Tara had followed Buffy's gaze when the slayer looked for a weapon. *Where else?* the witch thought frantically. *Under the bed!* She dropped to her knees and picked up the now-bloodied edge of the bedspread. *Jackpot!* she thought as she reached into the darkness and pulled out an axe.  
  
"Have you no honor, attacking an opponent from behind?" the Master sneered as he tried to fend off the two-sided assault.  
  
"I'm evil!" Spike cried indignantly, as if that answered the other vampire's question.  
  
"Yeah, evil like a de-clawed kitten," Buffy retorted, rolling her eyes. She landed an especially strong and well-placed kick to the Master's stomach, causing him to double over.  
  
While the elder vampire was distracted, Tara pushed the axe she had found into Spike's hands. He nodded appreciatively and called, "Hey, nancy boy! Come to papa!"  
  
When the Master turned to face Spike, the bleached-blonde swung the axe in a swift arc, cleanly decapitating his opponent. The Master's head fell to the floor and bounced once before the whole body exploded into dust.  
  
"Huh," Buffy said. "Guess he was right about one thing."  
  
The remaining vampire and the slayer both drifted slowly toward the bed. Each was worn out by the physical and emotional drain of the last few hours. Without realizing that they were moving in tandem, each sat on one side of the bed.  
  
"What's that, Slayer?" Spike asked, his adrenaline receding now that the danger was past, allowing the after-effects of the tranquilizers to make themselves fully known. He laid back and stretched out on the bed, closing his eyes.  
  
"I didn't kill him this time," she responded.  
  
Spike grunted in response and then couldn't resist teasing, "I've never seen you go down that fast."  
  
"Luck shot," was all Buffy said before she flopped back to lie next to him, one arm over her eyes. The battle was done and she could finally permit herself to acknowledge the effects of the blood loss.  
  
"Buffy? Spike?" Tara asked. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Hmm," was the slayer's noncommittal response.  
  
Spike however, was still functioning enough to realize that it had been a while since he'd eaten. "Could go for some blood, luv."  
  
"Orange juice," Buffy agreed. Then, realizing that the request might sound odd in the home of a vampire, she clarified for her friend. "Fridge."  
  
She was too exhausted to care how it looked that she was lying beside her mortal enemy on his bed or that she had just admitted to knowing the contents of his fridge.  
  
"Right," Tara said, "You just rest. I'll get it." She turned and gestured to Father Mike and Anya to precede her up the ladder. As Father Mike was climbing, Anya turned back to the pair on the bed.  
  
"Enjoy the post-battle sex," she said with a bright smile. "Xander's always much sweeter after a dangerous fight."  
  
A pair of twin groans arose from the bed and Tara shook her head, chuckling to herself. *Only Anya!*  
  
***  
  
A few days later, the gang gathered at the Summers' residence for dinner, even Spike. Dawn had insisted on the event to "prove that the house won't eat us again," as well as on the vampire's presence.  
  
Spike had just walked through the back door to find Buffy, Tara, and Anya cooking, while Willow and Xander set the table in the dinning room.  
  
"Hey guys!" Dawn called from the living room. "Come here, quick!"  
  
The adults rushed into the other room, long ago having learned to instantly respond to any summons on the Hellmouth that included the word "quick." They found Dawn in front of the television and a familiar face on screen.  
  
"Isn't that one of those news guys?" Willow asked as Blair introduced his story for the evening.  
  
"In a small, quiet town in Southern California things truly do go bump in the night! But that's not the only thing to make this town unique. It has a real, live superhero. By day she's an ordinary girl, but at night she rids the town of the forces of darkness. She is," he paused dramatically, "the Demon Slayer!"  
  
"I'm going to kill him," Buffy said calmly.  
  
As Blair continued to narrate, the picture changed to footage of a cemetery at night. While the general viewing public would recognize it simply as a graveyard, all members of the Scooby Gang immediately recognized which of Sunnydale's twelve cemeteries it was.  
  
"That's near my crypt!" Spike exclaimed.  
  
Buffy paled, remembering the last tape she had seen taken near Spike's crypt. *If that's what this is, human or not, I really will kill them!*  
  
A young woman entered the shot with her back to the camera. She was about Buffy's height and build, but her blonde hair fell down a good five or six inches longer than Buffy's currently did.  
  
"Either that tape's way out of date or someone rebuilt the Buffybot," Dawn said. Six heads turned to look at Spike.  
  
"What're you bloody well looking at me for?" he demanded, only half seriously. He figured he deserved any grief he got over the Bot.  
  
On screen, the woman pulled what was clearly a stake from her pocket and stopped by a fresh grave. As a newly-turned vampire rose, she awkwardly staked him. Something about the way the woman on the screen moved tickled at Spike's memory.  
  
*Oh, I'm gonna stake you! I'm coming after you, you bad, evil vampire, and I'm gonna slay you!*  
  
"Bloody Hell!" he groaned a second before the woman turned to smile brightly and wave at the camera.  
  
Dawn was the first to ask.  
  
"Is that Harmony?"  
  
  
  
The End  
  
+++++  
  
A/N: That's it, folks! I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for all the encouragement along the way! I can't stress that enough – THANK YOU! And while I relish the kind and even glowing reviews (I'm planning on printing them off to hang on the fridge), if you have any comments of a more constructively critical nature, I'd love to hear them so I can improve my writing for the next time around.  
  
On that note, I do plan to write more in the future, but I know that real life is in the process of rearing its ugly head and it'll probably be three to four weeks before I get the chance. Take heart, though, I do have an idea brewing. Plus, hey – new Buffy tonight! Whoo-hoo! Even if it leaves me in a less-than-doing-the-Snoopy-Dance mood, it's still new! And speaking of new – holy-long-lost-son-who-grew-up-in-a-hell-dimension on the Angel homefront, Batman!  
  
Again, thanks for reading! Haley 


End file.
